Wolves of the Pacific
by greenpeach20
Summary: In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Renesmee sat towards the front of the large wagon. There was another woman sitting to her right holding the reigns. The smell of the horses had been bothering her since they left the station in Montana, but she never said anything. All the other women did enough complaining about the smell on their own without Renesmee helping. She had managed for most of the trip to distract herself with reading be it _Persuasion_, _Wuthering Heights_, or any other book she had stuffed in her bag that her parents had been willing to let her have. They only were reluctant to part with any of their literature because they'd been adamant Renesmee not travel west. "Why bother?" Edward had asked her. "Your family's here in Chicago. Why go out to the middle of nowhere?" Bella had asked. Her aunts, uncles, and grandparents had made their own objections as well, but Renesmee had already made up her mind.

She'd spent most of her life with her family. They'd moved around from Chicago to New York to Milwaukee and throughout the northern United States, never staying anywhere longer than four or five years. It mostly had to do with her, she knew. Prior to her mother and father falling in love, the Cullens would stay in any given place at least a period of ten years because they could get away with pretending to be in their thirties. Once people believed Carlisle was forty, that's when they left. But once Renesmee was born, they firstly had to leave so Bella's family wouldn't question their daughter's "death". She couldn't very well stay in the city where her family was when they believed her dead.

After that, though, they always left as soon as people began asking why Renesmee wasn't married. For the past forty years it had been the same thing: "She's so lovely, Bella. You simply must let me introduce her to my son," or "She's still not married? How old is she?" As far as anyone ever knew, Renesmee was just shy of eighteen. She'd been turning eighteen for the past thirty five years. She'd decided she was sick of it and wanted to be on her own. Edward of course knew she'd been planning to leave. He'd been trying to convince her otherwise since the thought popped into her head. But alas, she applied to be sent west as a mail order bride and hoped that whoever she was to marry would allow her to work as a nurse at whatever medical facility was available in Olympia. Granted, Renesmee wouldn't be able to stay in one place for her whole life, but she'd get at least 15 years or so out of this location before faking her own death and moving on: the reverse of a Black Widow perhaps. Instead of killing her husbands, she'd leave them as dead. It couldn't be much worse than moving around whenever anyone asked about Renesmee's lack of a husband at her age.

Her family had promised they'd come to visit her in three months time when she'd be certain to have arrived in Washington and settled in a home of her own. She could introduce them to her husband! She'd know him by then. Renesmee looked to her right at her companion who seemed on the verge of sleep after so many hours on the road. They were still several hours away from Olympia and they'd not stopped in a town for rest since Seattle four days ago. Renesmee looked in the back of the wagon where Caevia slept and couldn't help but smile. The woman was undoubtedly far older than her despite looking close to Renesmee's age, yet she was more a friend than anyone she'd known in her whole life. One of Carlisle's old patients, who'd been unable to pay for his services, offered him Caevia as a way to appease the debt. Carlisle, of course, had intended to refuse until Renesmee had seen Caevia. She'd been so fascinating to her. She'd never seen a Native American before, especially not one so tan and from so far south as the arid deserts near Mexico. Once Renesmee had expressed so much interest, Carlisle agreed to take Caevia. Her previous owner had mocked her, saying she claimed to be of a people called the Tistihlal that could turn into birds and had been cursed with lasting youth and eternal life. Carlisle laughed with the man, but the Cullens believed Caevia. The fact that she'd stayed exactly the same for almost forty years just testified to her story. Not wanting to bother Caevia, Renesmee looked at the woman to her right again.

"Do you have a picture of your future husband?" Renesmee asked the woman. She snapped out of her daze and smiled.

"I'm afraid not. Did you get one?"

"No," Renesmee said, shaking her head gently. "They told me his name is Peter Wallis, he has brown hair and he has a farm outside Olympia."

"I was told my husband to be is a preacher: Reverend Lesley."

"You'll be in the city then," Renesmee said. "I would love for that. Hopefully the farm isn't too far out of the city. I still wanted to be a nurse if I can help it."

"You're a nurse? There're never too many of those," the woman smiled. "I'm sure he'll be happy to let you work. It would be a disservice to the town if he didn't."

Renesmee smiled but didn't answer. She suddenly smelled something strange: something sweet. She knew that kind of smell. She reached for the gun in the back. It wouldn't do much more than stall the vampire and spook the horses so they would run, but that's all they really needed. The woman asked why Renesmee was reaching for the gun, but she ignored the woman and focused on the scent. But then, she realized there was a strong woodsy scent following the clawing sweet smell. Then she heard what sounded like a pack of wolves. She was so confused. Why would a vampire be running from wolves of all things? Wolves are hardly a trouble even in great numbers. Shortly after realizing the smells approaching, she caught the briefest of images of a man running past their caravan. None of the women so much as noticed, but Renesmee had. What the women did notice, however, were the three massive wolves that narrowly avoided running right into their wagons. Screams echoed and mixed with the loud roars of the wolves. Some of the wolves ran right back into the woods while one reddish brown wolf stayed a moment, seeming to roar in the direction of the vampire in pure frustration. Then the wolf looked right at Renesmee prepared to roar at her too, but what instead escaped was the slightest whimper. She was still holding the gun and had even aimed it at the large beast, yet the eyes that stared at her weren't that of an animal. They were a man's eyes, black and piercing. She felt drawn to them and she couldn't explain why. After staring at her a moment, the women continued to scream again. One shot towards the reddish brown wolf that had been staring at Renesmee. The bullet missed and the reddish brown wolf ran back into the woods with the others that had followed him.

"What happened?" Caevia asked, forcing herself towards the front to look outside.

"Wolves startled the horses," Renesmee answered. Then she looked at the other woman and attempted to calm her down. When she'd managed to calm her down, she walked around the caravan to look after all the other women in the group. When no one seemed more than frazzled, Renesmee managed to get the caravan moving again and the rest of the trip went by without further incident.

When they finally at long last arrived at Olympia, they were greeted by the Reverend Lesley and a few other men of town, most of whom anxiously awaited to meet their future wives. Renesmee watched, Caevia at her side, as several of the women were introduced to their fiancés, but no one came forward asking for her. Eventually, a very tall brunette man walked forward and pulled his hat off respectfully. Renesmee curtsied for the man as he approached and it was after that when the man finally spoke.

"Would you happen to be Renesmee Cullen?" the man asked.

"Yes, that's me. Are you Peter?"

"No, I'm here on his behalf. I'm John Rogers. I own the general store here in town. Don't be upset. It's my fault your fiancé isn't here. He has a nice collection of apple trees on his property and I told him I wanted them harvested and ready to sell."

"I understand," Renesmee answered. "When will I get to meet him?"

"I'm taking you to see him now. I'll bring you back after an hour so you can stay with the other ladies at the lodge. As to when your wedding will be is entirely up to you and Peter. As far as I know, several of the men here want to get married as soon as their fiancés are off the wagon. Reverend Lesley is looking at a busy night," the man chuckled. "I suppose his own wedding will have to wait a while. I can't speak for Peter, but I can tell you he's anxious to meet you."

"I'm anxious to meet him to." Renesmee smiled at the man genuinely and he responded in kind with the same smile.

"So who's this?" the man asked, finally looking at Caevia.

"She's my servant. You don't think Peter will mind her do you?"

"I doubt it. More hands to help out around the house never hurt any farmer or farmer's wife. Come on. I'll take you to the farm now."

Admittedly, Renesmee had been hoping for some time to relax, but she only smiled and followed John to his cart. Caevia hitched a ride in the back where some hay rested while Renesmee sat up front with John as he made small talk with her. He told Renesmee about the pigs Peter raised and how he let them eat the apples that fell from his apple tree so their meat would be really sweet once they were put on the market in town. Renesmee confided that she had been a nurse back in Chicago which John was quite impressed with. The actual ride to the farm took them about thirty five minutes. If Peter had a horse she could ride into town, it shouldn't take her too long. Theoretically she could just run on her own and be there even faster, but that wasn't really open to her. When Renesmee, John and Caevia arrived at the farm, Renesmee was pleased with what she saw. There was a humble house atop a hill and it was surrounded by scattered apple trees. The outside of the property was gated, undoubtedly due entirely to the pigs that roamed the area freely. The dark green of the trees surrounded the back of the house. She saw out of the corner of her eye some pigs nibbling on acorns they found scattered about. Some parts of the farm had large dirt puddles where a lot of the pigs were currently congregated due to the heat and humidity. She and the pigs shared the sentiment that it was far too hot and she couldn't wait to strip out of these heavy clothes later that night at the lodge. John stopped the cart right at the gate, got off, opened the gate, and got back on the cart so he could drive it through. He closed the gate back up and finally they rode the rest of the way up the hill to the house. When they reached the house, another man was approaching. He had to be Peter. He indeed had brown hair and was tanned from years of working out in the fields. He wasn't a breathtaking man, but he was pleasant enough. He didn't look too old either: early thirties maybe. One thing was certain; he was happy to see her. He had a wide grin on his face, eagerness brightening his smile.

"That's Peter," John assured. "He's been looking forward to meeting you."

"I can tell," Renesmee answered as she scooted down from the cart. Caevia stayed in the back with the hay, content to get more sleep while Renesmee got acquainted with her future husband. Peter finally reached Renesmee and John, but when he got there he realized he didn't know exactly what to say. She was certainly a beauty. She was more than he'd ever hoped for and looking at her bright red tinted brown hair, her bright brown eyes, and her sweet face was making him nervous.

"Hello Renesmee." Peter scratched his head. "I said your name correctly right?"

"Yes, you did. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Peter. I heard good things about you."

"I'm afraid what I've heard of you hasn't done you justice. All I was told was you were a nurse in Chicago."

"I was told you own a farm and have brown hair."

Peter chuckled, "Well, they didn't lie to you." They all shared a laugh.

"They certainly didn't," John said. "So how goes harvesting those apples?"

"It's going fine. I have plenty for you to take now before you leave if you want."

"Not if you have more apples to give me."

"You have to let me keep enough for me and the pigs, John. Besides, the more apples I give you, the more money you owe me."

John took in a whistling breath through his teeth, "That is true. Fine, I'll take what you've got now. I will be back for more, though, mark my words." John looked at Renesmee. "Anyway, back to more important things. Have you had lunch yet? I haven't. I say we let your fiancé show off how good of a cook she is."

Renesmee smiled, "I'd be happy to." Renesmee looked back towards the cart. "Caevia, would you help me?" Caevia nodded and hopped out of the cart.

"Who's this?" Peter asked. She couldn't help but notice the mildly acidic tone in his voice.

"She's my servant Caevia. She was a gift from one of my grandpa's patients and she's been with us ever since." Caevia, rather than say anything, bowed her head respectfully.

"She's never been any trouble?" Peter asked, still hesitant. "Forgive my prodding, but I've had one too many Indians sneak onto my property to steal my apples, so I'm a little wary of them."

"She'll be no trouble at all," Renesmee assured. She decided this conversation needed to be over so she motioned for Caevia to follow her up to the house and got right to cooking the men something for lunch. Peter insisted Caevia eat in the corner when lunch was served. Now wasn't the time, but Renesmee made a note that she would have to break him of this phobia he seemed to have of Native Americans. But for the time being, Renesmee focused on fooling the men into thinking she was eating the lunch she had prepared while holding up a conversation and getting to know Peter better.

Much further away along the coast of the pacific, the reddish wolf returned to his tribe. He stopped in the trees before entering the clearing near the water and put on his pale animal pelt pants and tied them up. When he went into the clearing, no one initially paid attention to him until a young boy talking to his sister notice him and ran over.

"Jacob," the boy said in excitement, "you're finally back! Where've you been?"

"Hunting," Jacob said. "Where's the rest of the pack, Seth?"

"They're fishing," he said, pointing towards the water. Jacob looked over at them as Embry was, indeed, fishing while Quil was taking a nap on the beach.

"Go get them for me."

After nodding, Seth ran off towards the beach to grab the members of the pack. It took a minute for him to wake up Quil and Embry eventually had to help. When Quil was eventually awake (whether he liked it or not), they were led to Jacob with Seth in the lead. The men eventually told Seth to go help his sister Leah with whatever she needed. Seth initially refused. He knew he'd never inherit the wolf spirit, being in no way a descendant of Taha Aki like the rest of them were, but he had contented himself to being a close companion to the pack. When they reached Jacob, he again asked Seth to let the pack talk alone. Seth eventually complied and walked away, leaving the pack alone.

"I found her," Jacob said when they were alone.

"You did?" Embry asked, getting a nod of confirmation from Jacob.

"So what are you planning to do now that you know where she is? You didn't really have a plan to speak of past finding her when you left a few days ago."

"I still don't have much of a plan to speak of," Jacob mumbled, scratching the back of his head. He took a deep breath before making a proposal. He'd thought long and hard about what to do but nothing good came to mind. This was the only solution he could come up with: "I know where she's staying. We wait until she's alone and when she's alone, we'll sneak into the home, take her and run."

"We're going to take her?" Quil said in a hushed voice but still very surprised.

"What else do you suggest I do, Quil? I can't just walk up to her and start talking to her. She'd scream and ran away from me."

"She won't exactly take well to being kidnapped and forced into an unfamiliar home either," Quil said. "Your father will kill you if you bring that woman here."

"He'll understand," Jacob said. "He imprinted on mom. He should understand it chooses you." Jacob groaned. He would've rather imprinted on anyone else, anyone, even his cousin or his sisters, anyone except a pale face. He complained about them enough. In that moment, he couldn't help but look towards Leah and Seth, remembering when they'd first shown up in the village.

Jacob remembered his mother telling him several stories about his aunt Uileila. Sara exalted her sister's happy personality, her bright and loving smile, and all the stories from when they were young and would play together. Sara was always sad though when she spoke about her sister. Uileila had run away when she was young and in love with a pale face from Forks. No one had known about the affair until the night Uileila said goodbye to Sara, saying that she was running away to be with her pale faced lover and be his wife. Sara had begged her sister to reconsider, but Uileila couldn't be dissuaded. Sara had told her mother and father but by then it was too late. It had been the last Sara or anyone else in the tribe had heard or seen from Uileila since. Yet years after Uileila ran away, Seth and Leah came running to the tribe begging for shelter with their mother's people. Sara begged Seth and Leah, "Please, where is Uileila? Tell me, where is my sister?" A very young, barely a teenager, Leah and a mere six year old Seth had to tell the story of how their father beat her to death and would've done so to them too had Leah not grabbed her father's gun from his belt and shot him right between the eyes. Sara had taken the two in as her own. Uileila would've wanted it that way. Jacob remembered their faces, the looks of terror that took years to melt away. He could never forgive the injustice that happened to his cousins at the hands of a pale faced man that seduced a young, impressionable girl. Yet Jacob's disdain for the pale faces ran deeper still than even that. The people of Forks had invited themselves onto the land claiming it as their own. They called the land "Washington" now. They had imposed themselves upon the Quileutes and their allies. They were forced to give up their white slaves and be reduced to a small people with a small area of land far away from the "good people of Forks". Because enslaving a black man is fine, but the moment it's a pale face, it's wrong. Jacob and the rest of the tribe were hearing tales of tribes from the east that had embraced the pale faces as brothers only to be spat on and forced into isolation like infected rats. They were two faced devils that were slowly robbing them of their resources and their names. The mayor of Forks had given Jacob's father a white name, William, because Kayechiwetchwe "was simply too hard to remember". The English names were infesting the tribe and it left Jacob seething. The fact his was a white name was all the worse. Yet here Jacob was, imprinted to a pale faced woman. He could only hope she would be the counterargument to all the pale faces he'd encountered before.

"I'll need one of you to help me," Jacob finally said. "Embry, you stay here and do patrol for tonight. Quil, you come with me."

"We're leaving now?" Quil asked. "I promised Claire I would show her how to debone a fish."

"She can wait," Jacob hissed. "Did her parents have to name her Claire? What's wrong with a good Quileute name?"

"She's perfect no matter what her name, Jacob," Quil said defensively. "When you have kids, you can name them whatever you want, but until then you leave Claire alone. Honestly Jacob, she's only five."

"She's not standing here listening now is she?" Jacob rubbed his face as Quil began to argue. Eventually, Jacob held a fist in the air to silence his pack brother. "Fine, we'll wait until tonight. But we _are_ leaving tonight. And neither of you are to tell _anyone _of this. Understood?" Both Quil and Embry nodded their heads, but eagerly ran from Jacob wanting to be away from him. It was said that the imprint was supposed to calm a wolf down but at the moment it was only making Jacob more irritated. He already loved the woman and yet he didn't even know her name. He only knew that when he'd looked into her brown eyes, he felt his world shift to a different center of focus and he was in love. The rest he would have to figure out as he went along.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Renesmee looked at herself in the mirror as the seamstress added lace to a white dress her Aunt Alice had given her for her wedding. The turtle neck of the dress was tight and the sleeves fit like gloves. She found it exceedingly uncomfortable. She realized after she'd left Peter's home with John, gone were the days that she could walk around her own home with her blouse unbuttoned and feeling comfortable. While the seamstress was doing a lovely job on her dress, she'd insisted Caevia stay outside away from her dresses. No matter how much Renesmee argued with the woman, she simply wouldn't allow Caevia in the shop. Were the woman not the only seamstress in town, Renesmee would've refused her business, but the woman was her only option so she told the woman to keep the tailoring quick so Caevia wouldn't be waiting outside for too long.

Her wedding was tomorrow. She'd known Peter for four days and it certainly felt that way. He was so shy and always spoke with John rather than speak with her. She hoped that would change once they were married. She knew Peter was at least fond of her, but they needed to actually talk to each other to have any sort of meaningful relationship. When the dress was finally done, Renesmee smiled kindly and assured it was perfect. She paid the woman for her services and came outside to see Caevia sitting in a corner rather than on the bench chair outside the shop where Renesmee had left her.

"Did someone tell you not to sit on this bench?" Renesmee asked, exasperated.

"Yes," Caevia answered as she stood up from her corner. "Your family was much nicer."

"They just need to get used to you. Once they know you, they'll accept you."

Caevia chuckled darkly, "Oh Renesmee. Sometimes I think you're too innocent of people. Don't let yourself worry too much about it. It may have been a while, but I'm used to people treating me this way."

"I'm not going to put up with it," Renesmee said stubbornly. "You're not a criminal. I'm not going to tolerate everyone treating you like one." Caevia smiled at Renesmee. Any other time, she would hug her reassuringly but doing so would kick up a needless fuss.

"They just need time," Caevia finally said in agreement even if only to help Renesmee calm down and let the matter go. "Let's go back to the lodge. You're getting married tomorrow and you need some rest."

Renesmee finally agreed and the two walked back to the lodge with her dress. When they arrived back at the lodge, the two just went right back to Renesmee's room and played cards together until it was dinner time. Renesmee left Caevia in the room and grabbed some food from downstairs insisting on eating in her room, claiming she was simply so nervous about her wedding the next day that she needed some time to be alone. When she returned to her room, she gave the food to Caevia for her dinner and waited for it to get late enough that Renesmee could sneak out into the woods and hunt some deer. She got back long before it was past midnight and went right to bed when she returned. She woke up to the sun bright in her face. She'd forgotten to close the curtain when she returned and now she was paying for it, not being allowed to get extra sleep. Caevia was also woken up earlier than desired by the bright light entering through the window. Renesmee left the bed, went to the window and closed the curtain before returning to her bed attempting to get more sleep but, alas, it wasn't meant to be. There came a knock at her door from the lodge owner's wife, excitedly announcing it was Renesmee's wedding day. Renesmee groaned and sat up in bed again. Caevia sat up as well from her bed across the room and smiled at her.

"Are you ready to get married?" Caevia asked with a yawn, stretching her arms up.

"I would be after three more hours of sleep," Renesmee joked. The two shared a laugh as they got out of bed.

Renesmee allowed the lodge owner's wife into the room, who'd insisted all the mail order brides allow her to do their hair for their wedding days. It was a bit of a passion of hers evidently. She sat Renesmee down in front of a mirror and proceeded to do her hair up in a French braid. It was rather plain but it would do. Stray hairs framed her face well enough and she was able to wear a small barrette in her hair that her mother had let her borrow. It was also blue, killing two traditional birds with one stone. Her dress was made new and it was also originally her mother's wedding dress, so old and new covered. Caevia braided her own hair while the woman did Renesmee's and she got dressed in a nicer dress Renesmee had chosen for her to wear. She'd already made it clear to everyone that Caevia would be her maid of honor despite the women begging her to reconsider. "It's simply not right to make a slave your maid of honor," they insisted. "Firstly," Renesmee had explained, "She's my servant, not my slave. Secondly, she's a close friend to me regardless of her 'position' and I will elevate her to whatever role I please." The conversation from there had harshly ended, Renesmee refusing to allow any more nonsense on this matter. She wasn't the most popular woman in the lodge after that little display.

After Renesmee was dressed and ready, the Lodge owner's wife led her downstairs telling her all about the feast she and the other brides had to look forward to following the wedding. Renesmee and Peter were getting married first, then two other couples would follow them and then they would all return to the lodge for a reception feast. It had been this way on and off since she and Caevia had arrived. The day before was the only day a wedding hadn't been planned. All the brides were downstairs waiting for someone to pick them up and take them to the church. They wouldn't go until all their fiancés had all arrived at the church. Peter was the only one that didn't live in town, at least out of the men that were getting married that day, so Renesmee knew they were all waiting on him. By the time the clock read nine, Reverend Lesley (who'd married his wife two days ago) came to get the ladies. They walked to the church, holding their dresses above the dirt as best they could while the townspeople followed behind eager to see the nuptials for the day. After this, there were only four more couples to get married and their weddings would be tomorrow. The small church at the edge of town was packed to bursting with townspeople, making it hard for Renesmee and the other brides to get into the church. But when they managed to force their way, through the grooms, particularly Peter, were standing up front ready to get married. Each bride was escorted up the line towards the altar and, as Renesmee had demanded, Caevia was close to her side as her maid of honor. When she reached Peter, she noticed he seemed less than thrilled that Renesmee had been serious about Caevia being her maid of honor, but he chose to say nothing: a wise decision on his part. Reverend Lesley moved to his spot before the church and began the ceremonies with Renesmee and Peter.

She noticed, as the Reverend spoke, that Peter seemed very nervous. He looked at her through the whole ceremony, yet she could tell he was uncomfortable and wanted the whole thing to be over with. She had to admit she was of the same mind. Her dress was far too tight and she felt like she couldn't breathe. And through the whole ceremony something was bothering her. She had no idea what could be bothering her though. She kept seeing that reddish brown wolf that had run past the caravan on her way to Olympia. She kept seeing those black, human like eyes that she remembered, but she did her best during the ceremony to push it from her mind. Peter was very nice, a fixer upper yes, but ultimately a nice man. Were there something off about him, Renesmee was sure she would realize it. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling she was making a mistake. Caevia kept her eyes on Renesmee the whole time and noticed she seemed less than thrilled. Yet Renesmee had already decided this was what she wanted, so Caevia left her alone. She could always talk with her later. They could always run if Renesmee was truly not happy and Caevia had no trouble reminding her.

All three ceremonies took about two and a half hours to get through and it all culminated at the lodge for the reception. At the reception, Peter finally took some form of affirmative action and held Renesmee's hand sweetly. It was the first real sign of affection he'd shown her and it left her hopeful. Peter insisted, after spending an hour at the feast, cutting their small cake and having a light lunch (that Renesmee pretended to eat) that it was time for them to get back to the farm. Peter sent Renesmee and Caevia upstairs to gather their things and Caevia took that time to bring up what had clearly been discomfort at the wedding.

"Are you happy?" Caevia asked as she folded a dress. "I want you to answer me honestly. You know we can go back to Chicago if you're not happy. Your family will welcome you back without a word about this."

"I know they would, but it's time I was alone," Renesmee answered. "Peter's a good man. I'm sure given time I'll grow to love him. I'm, at the very least, fond of him."

"Fondness makes a fine friendship, Renesmee, but it doesn't make a marriage. I think you two should've waited a few months to get to know him. Edward could've met him first, then, and given an honest assessment of the man."

"I told you, Caevia; I told all of you: it's time I grow up. I don't need daddy to make life decisions for me. I respect that you're trying to look out for me, but I just need for you to support my decisions."

"I do support you," Caevia said. "I'll trust your judgment."

"Thank you," Renesmee said with appreciation. Having packed the last of her things and changed into a more comfortable dress, she pulled her suitcase off the bed and smiled at Caevia. "Let's go home." Caevia smiled back and followed Renesmee down the stairs with her own suitcase. Renesmee and Peter said their goodbyes to everyone at the reception. She was surprised everyone at the reception seemed alright with her and Peter leaving so early. Peter just said goodbye to everyone, as did Renesmee, and they walked to Peter's cart to go back to the farm. The ride itself was rather quiet and long. About halfway to the house, Renesmee couldn't stand the silence anymore. Her first instinct was to talk to Caevia, but when she turned around, she saw she'd fallen asleep. Evidently, she'd been just as bored with the ride.

"I'm glad no one was upset with us leaving so early," Renesmee said when she was looking at Peter again.

"They wouldn't be," Peter said bashfully. "I don't like large crowds. They make me uncomfortable."

"The church and lodge were really crowded," Renesmee agreed as she started staring at her hands. "Have you always hated large crowds?"

"Yes," Peter said frankly. "You don't mind if we refrain from going to the weddings scheduled tomorrow do you? I've had my fill of parties for a while."

"That's alright," Renesmee answered.

There was silence after that again and Renesmee racked her brain for anything else to talk about. She didn't want to talk about parents. Peter had revealed his parents were dead and she knew he wouldn't want to talk about it anymore. His mother had died years ago and his father had passed away from throat cancer just two years ago. There was no point in discussing a job in town as a nurse for her. Peter and the town doctor had already made that clear as well.

Upon arrival at the house, they drove the cart through the fields, pigs running aside. The noises they made jolted Caevia back to attention from the back of the cart. Peter parked right in front of the house and came around to Renesmee once he was off and helped Renesmee get off. Caevia helped herself and followed the two into the house. When Caevia entered the house behind the couple, Peter looked at her suspiciously, but said nothing. Per Renesmee's instructions, Peter made a bed available for Caevia however it was a collection of blankets in the corner of the kitchen: hardly what Renesmee had in mind. Caevia didn't complain of the matter but Renesmee chose to bring it up at dinner that night when Peter asked Renesmee not to waste good pig on her.

"We need to have a talk about Caevia," Renesmee said after she sat down at the dinner table.

"I agree," Peter answered. "You're far too nice to her."

"Quite the contrary," she said, "I know why you have an aversion to Native Americans, but I would like for you to give Caevia a chance and be nicer to her. She's been a good friend to me since I was a child so I hold her in quite high regard."

"I'll try," Peter said, no longer wanting to argue. It was their wedding night after all and the last thing he wanted to do was argue with his new wife.

"That's all I ask," Renesmee answered, continuing to only pretend to eat her dinner. She'd gotten really good at it so Peter never noticed she did it. There was a moment of silence as dinner continued. Renesmee managed to discard enough of the plate to feel comfortable claiming she was full and finished with her dinner. After she finished, Peter looked at her shyly.

"Did you like it?"

"It was delicious," Renesmee lied.

"I'm glad you think so," Peter smiled. "I try to treat those pigs like family. I firmly believe the better a pig's life and the better they eat, the better they taste."

"I can tell those pigs eat a lot of apples."

"It's not just the apples. Those pigs eat more vegetables than I do." Peter chuckled a little. "That's not a good thing is it?"

"I'd say not. I'm happy to make plenty of vegetables for dinner from now on."

"I would like that. I'm friends with Thomas Hudson further west of here. He has a really big vegetable garden. I can always convince him to give me more vegetables."

"That sounds like a great idea," Renesmee said. Shortly after, Peter finished his dinner.

"You know how to cook pork," he said in a pleased tone. "I dare say it's better than how my father used to cook it." Renesmee noticed Peter seem mildly solemn after that comment, but he quickly swept the feeling under the rug as best he could. "I, um," Peter began rather awkwardly.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Peter said. "I was planning to go straight to bed." Finally Renesmee realized why he was probably so nervous.

"It has been a busy day," Renesmee encouraged. "I suppose we should go to bed early."

Peter seemed to relax with Renesmee's reassurance. She asked Caevia if she would take care of the dishes while she and Peter went upstairs. It would be the first time Renesmee saw more of the house than just the kitchen. Caevia had been the one to take Renesmee's things upstairs and put things away for her while she'd gotten dinner ready. She noticed, when they got upstairs, that there were two bedrooms. She imagined Peter would want to keep the other bedroom for children. It was the first time the prospect of children had even crept into her mind and the thought put her off. It wasn't that she didn't like children, quite the opposite but she hadn't put children into the equation of her 'reverse black widow' plan. She had no way of knowing how much like her their children would be. She knew how sex worked and where babies come from, so she would have to find a way to feign infertility.

The bedroom she and Peter would share was to the left of the long hallway across from the guest bathroom. The bed was rather small. It looked like a bed suitable for just one person, but certainly not for a couple to share. She wasn't sure when they would be able to get a bigger bed, but it certainly wouldn't be any time soon. There was a window to the side of the bed, which was pushed against the wall. Renesmee looked at Peter, who was already undressing as if he were really getting ready for bed now in nothing but his long underwear. She asked Peter to help her get out of her wedding dress. She felt his hands shaking as he undid her dress one infuriating button at a time. Under her dress was her slip which was much more comfortable and she finally felt like she could breath. When she was in her slip, Peter gently turned her around to look at him and took her hands in his.

"I'm sorry for being so nervous," Peter said. "I'm not used to people as a whole."

"What made you decide to get married if that's the case?"

"I'm lonely," he admitted sadly. "I have friends, but I hardly see them. I guess I just wanted someone to spend my life with that was more than a friend. Does that sound silly?"

"Not at all," Renesmee said. She went onto her toes and kissed Peter's nose, trying to help him relax. His being so nervous was making her nervous. She'd always imagined that the man she ended up with would be the one to take charge. That only seemed normal to her. So the fact that she had to take charge and get things started was very strange.

After kissing his nose, Peter finally worked up the courage to give Renesmee a real kiss. It felt so strange to her but she just went along with what Peter did. He wasn't doing much though. He was just hugging her while he kissed her. Renesmee wrapped her arms around his neck in the hopes it would make him feel more comfortable. It seemed to help a little. Peter started moving, narrowly avoiding stepping on her feet as he moved them towards the bed. Peter pushed her gently onto the bed and went right on top of her. During every touch and every kiss, Renesmee just stared at the ceiling, moving her hands but staying on his still clothed back. His hands started to travel up her shoulders to the straps of her slip which he pulled down. The straps stopped at her elbows seeing as she didn't bring her arms down to allow them to be pulled down any further. It did, however, leave her breasts bare for his hands to touch when he got around to it.

The entire act felt foreign to Renesmee and she felt really uncomfortable. Peter tried to pleasure her, but each effort only served to make her more uncomfortable almost certainly due entirely to Peter having little more idea how to go about the act as Renesmee did. She knew Penis went in Vagina to have sex but she also knew there were supposed to be interesting ways to actually get to that point. Peter had yet to remove any of his clothes thus far, which made it feel to Renesmee that he was completely disjointed from what they were doing. Then suddenly, while Peter was touching her breasts, she felt him twitch and shake. His crotch was suddenly wet on her long slip dress and, despite not looking at her, she could see a shamed look on Peter's face. As soon as it happened, Peter leaped off her and ran to the bathroom closing the door behind him. Renesmee stared in that direction for a few seconds before she heard the water pump going, so she readjusted her dress and turned over onto her side to look out the window. It gave her a clear view of the lush trees outside the farm limits.

Moments later after she started looking out the window, she also saw, she could swear, the sight of glowing eyes. When she looked closer, she realized it was a wolf. She sat up with a gasp and just as clearly as she saw those glowing wolf's eyes, she clearly saw them disappear. Renesmee rubbed eyes eyes and looked outside again trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But when she looked again the eyes were no longer there. She laid back down and continued to look out the window desperately trying to fall asleep. Eventually Peter came out of the bathroom and walked over to the bed, taking the remaining free space. Renesmee noticed the newer smell of clothes. Peter didn't take a hold of her. Instead, he laid on his back staring at the ceiling and simply apologized for what happened. When he made an attempt to explain, Renesmee assured him he didn't need to and told him to go to sleep.

The next morning when Renesmee woke up, Peter was already out of bed getting dressed for the day's work. As if nothing had happened the night before (or attempting to appear as though nothing had happened the night before), Peter walked over to the bed when he realized she was awake and gave her a sweet kiss. They met again downstairs while Peter was eating a few apples for breakfast and Caevia was sitting on her small pile of sheets waiting for any instructions of what to do should he want her to do anything. For the most part, Peter just ignored Caevia. After eating three apples and taking a few with him to snack on while he worked, he left the house saying a kind goodbye to Renesmee and got started with tending to the pigs.

"So," Caevia said when they were alone, standing up from her pile of blankets, "did you enjoy your first night as a married woman?"

"Nothing really happened," Renesmee admitted after scratching her head and taking a deep breath. "We started to, but I guess he finished too soon."

"Ah," was all Caevia said.

"He seems to be taking it well at least."

"Give it time," Caevia said. "It'll creep up to the surface soon enough. I say be patient and go along with anything he says for a while. The less his feathers are ruffled, the sooner he'll feel better about his compromised manhood."

"He doesn't strike me as the type that would allow such a thing to bother him so much."

"Men are men, Renesmee. I've known many in my life and they've come in many shapes and sizes but there has always been one thing they all have in common: don't ever bring sexual inadequacy to the forefront. Men can't stand to have their penises criticized."

"I never criticized him," Renesmee said defensively.

"Good, keep it that way." Caevia walked closer. "Now that we've discussed that, did you get a chance to talk to Peter about being on call as a nurse for the town doctor?"

"I did at the reception yesterday, but Dr. Taylor overheard me speaking with Peter about the matter and said he was in no need of any help from any nurses."

"Why didn't you say something to me earlier?"

"I had other things on my mind," Renesmee said. "I'd just gotten married." Renesmee took a deep breath and rubbed her face. "I don't think Peter was too keen on the idea of me going into town every day anyway. I think he wants me home."

"Keep you barefoot and pregnant, eh," Caevia said. "Assuming he can keep it up long enough to get it in."

"Caevia!" Renesmee snapped, but Caevia just shrugged.

"He's mean to me, I'll be mean to him: behind his back of course." Caevia would've remained unapologetic about the comment, but Renesmee looked like she was about to cry. For the first time since leaving Chicago, Caevia went to Renesmee and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No," Renesmee said through her tears. "It's not your fault."

"If you want to leave-"

"Stop saying that," Renesmee interrupted. "It's just one night. It doesn't mean that'll be the rest of our marriage."

"How long do you plan to stay with him?" Caevia asked, noticing she didn't say 'life'. She'd figured she wouldn't stay with Peter his whole life. He'd notice the lack of aging if she did, but Renesmee never actually explained her plan to Caevia outside of wanting independence.

"I don't know. As long as I can without him noticing I'm not aging. I wasn't even planning to start a family if I'm honest."

"Good thing he's a minute man, then," Caevia attempted to joke. Though she didn't want to, Renesmee did laugh. Caevia brushed away the tears from Renesmee's face and smiled. "There we go, that's what I was looking for. And hey, if you two do end up having kids one day, we'll just take him or her with us."

"No," Renesmee shook her head. "That's not fair to Peter or a child we would have together. I think Peter wants children one day. It would be cruel to have a child with him only to take it away without a word."

"Yeah," Caevia answered solemnly. "It would be." Caevia sighed a little. "I suppose I of all people should realize that."

"Don't think about that," Renesmee encouraged. "It only upsets you. Let's get some cleaning done around the house. I can't imagine the house is very clean."

"Sure," Caevia answered. It took a while to find the necessary items to use for cleaning, but once they did, the two worked to get the house as clean as possible for most of the morning.

Meanwhile outside the house, Jacob and Quil stalked around outside under the cover of the woods. They'd been there for three days now, waiting for the opportune time to strike but it simply wasn't coming up. Jacob had expected to leave, get his imprint, and run back to the tribe in a matter of a day at most but this pale faced man was making that plan rather troublesome. Jacob had no intention of taking the man with him. The thought of just killing the man crossed Jacob's mind, but Quil immediately turned it down. There would be enough of a panic once the townspeople realized one of their own had been kidnapped. Killing one of their own would make the matter worse and exacerbate what would undoubtedly turn into a witch hunt. Jacob came to the decision that they were better off waiting until his imprint was alone so they could sneak her away without anyone knowing who'd taken her. Yet there was also the problem of what to do with the other woman with his imprint. She was clearly a Native American, so Quil suggested they take her with them too. There was no way she was happy being stuck with pale faces that saw her as an inferior. She would certainly be happier with them and she'd be readily accepted. Considering her history, Leah might see the woman as a friend right away. Accepting his imprint, on the other hand, might be harder for the tribe to do given the track record they had with pale faces thus far. They would accept her eventually, though. Jacob would make sure of that.

Jacob and Quil watched the house all day, keeping a close eye on the pale faced man. The two wished they could grab one of the pigs and dig in, but the beasts were far too noisy. If they attacked one, it would rouse the house. They settled for Jacob staying by the house while Quil ran off to look for a dear to bring for the two to share. They managed to ensure that the pale faced man didn't see or notice them as they stalked the back of the house. Out of pure boredom, Quil suggested that they take a bunch of apples with them. They were kidnapping, why not add thievery to the list? Jacob growled at Quil when the thought crossed his mind.

Back in the house, Renesmee and Caevia managed to get the whole house clean. With that done, there really wasn't anything left to do except cook. Renesmee helped herself to the large collection of recipes stored away in a cabinet. The handwriting wasn't fantastic and there were several spelling errors throughout the recipes, but each recipe had small notes on them. "Charles loves this," would be written next to one recipe while others would have "Peter loves this" or "Peter and Charles love this". Almost all the recipes revolved entirely around apples. She found one recipe that was favored according to the notes for Apple Butter and another for Apple Pie jam and of course Apple Pie.

"Let's go outside and harvest a bunch more apples. I feel like trying these recipes." Caevia wandered over and looked at the recipes Renesmee pointed at.

"Do we have everything we'll need?" Renesmee looked around the kitchen and realized it was rather barren of necessities for sweet food. She hadn't realized it last night since she was just making pork, but now it was obvious just how ill-equipped the kitchen was save for all the appropriate pots and pans.

"I'll get some money and we'll go shopping."

Renesmee grabbed some money of her own from her bag and went with Caevia to the horse that was in his stable. Renesmee let Peter know she'd be doing some shopping and they'd be back before nightfall. On horse, the trip to town took about twenty five minutes or so and when they arrived, Renesmee asked around where she could get spices and gelatin. Everyone suggested the general store and the pharmacy, so that's where they went. Just to avoid argument, Renesmee asked Caevia to wait outside with the horse while she got the ingredients. She made sure to buy plenty of spices and sugar and gelatin. On the way to town, she had a thought that maybe she could make a large quantity of apple butter and jams to sell in town. It would give her something to do seasonally at the very least. Thankfully it was the height to the fall season and the apples were glowing like weeds. Renesmee and Caevia got back to the farm before the sun set. Peter was still outside working when she returned and she knew he was probably hungry. Caevia put the spices away while Renesmee got dinner ready.

"I was thinking," Renesmee said once she and Peter sat down for dinner, "that I might make some apple pie jam and apple butter and apple pie. I found some recipes in the cupboard and they look delicious."

"They're my mother's recipes," Peter said. "I can't remember the last time I had those things."

"Would it make you happy if I made those for you?"

"I might cry," Peter answered with a smile. "I take it that's what you went to town for?"

"Yes," Renesmee said. "I'll start in the morning tomorrow. I noticed you have two huge pots, so I'll be able to do all three things tomorrow."

"I can't wait," Peter said. "The house will smell amazing."

"I was also thinking," Renesmee continued, "that since we have so many apples and I'll be making so much, I might be able to sell some bottles of jam and apple butter." Peter chuckled.

"It'll give John one more thing to demand of me." Renesmee smiled back and continued to pretend to eat her dinner. "I don't know how many jars that recipe makes, but I do know we have plenty of mason jars."

"I know, I checked. If these turn out really good, I'll buy more then." Renesmee wasn't certain if the night before was still bothering Peter, but if it was, he certainly wasn't showing it. After dinner, Renesmee took Caevia outside with her to gather as many apples as she could fit in the baskets so they would be ready for her in the morning.

That night when she came to bed, Peter made no attempt to be intimate, but he did hold her in bed for a while. In the morning when Renesmee woke up, Peter had already gone outside to start working so Renesmee went straight downstairs after putting on her most comfortable dress and only wore a pair of socks. Caevia and Renesmee started the day with peeling the skin off the apples and keeping them in a bucket of water so they wouldn't brown. Renesmee followed the recipes to a tee and making both apple pie jam and apple butter took her all day. By the time the jam and butter were done and put in their mason jars, she simply didn't have the energy to make a pie on top of all that. Caevia didn't stay awake for dinner. After everything was jarred, she went right to bed in her pile of blankets. Renesmee did the same thing and went right to bed after she finished everything.

Jacob and Quil were, of course, outside through the whole day. They'd wondered what Jacob's imprint had been up to when she was collecting so many apples. The next morning, both wolves were awoken by the smell of apples baking.

_Whatever that is,_ Quil said mid-day when the smell of sugar, cinnamon and apples were wafting in the air, _we're taking some._

_That I'll agree to taking,_ Jacob responded.

When Renesmee woke up the next morning and came downstairs in her same comfortable dress and socks, she saw Peter smearing apple butter on one slice of bread and apple pie jam on another slice of bread. When he turned around and looked at Renesmee, he held the piece of bread up in the air as if to toast.

"This is excellent," Peter said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed all that." Peter walked over with the bread and handed it to Renesmee so she would try it. She took a bite and made an approving sound, claiming she thought it was delicious. It was a shame, but it really only tasted like mud to her. "It really is good. I'm rather pleased if I do say so myself."

"Believe me so am I. I never thought I would eat these things ever again. You've certainly made a happy husband of me." Renesmee smiled and accepted a kiss from Peter.

"I'll make a pie today. I'm sorry I didn't get to it yesterday."

"It's alright, I understand. I look forward to it," Peter finished his bread. "If you're alright with it, I'll take a jar of apple butter and jam to John today. If he really likes it, he'll want to sell it in his store. I might be able to convince him to buy the butter and jam for ten cents a jar. He can sell it for fifteen cents a jar and everyone can be happy."

"I'm happy with that arrangement," Renesmee said. "Are you going right now?"

"I need to do a few things around the farm before I do. I'll probably leave around high noon. I'll be back by dinner though."

"Tell John I said hi."

Peter gave Renesmee one more kiss before going outside to do some work around the farm. Caevia was still asleep when Renesmee started the dough for the pie, but she was awake after Renesmee put the dough on ice to rest. Caevia helped with the rest of the pie making process and by the time the pie was in the oven, Peter came in earlier than expected and grabbed a jar of jam and butter to take to John's shop. Peter kissed Renesmee again and walked out letting her know he'd be back soon.

"Did he like the jam and butter we slaved over yesterday?"

"He loved it," Renesmee said proudly. "He said he might be able to get John to agree to sell the jam and butter for us."

"You mean we'll have to do that again?" Caevia whined. "Please tell me you're joking."

"No, Caevia, I'm not joking. Don't worry, we'll get used to it in no time at all."

"You must be out of your mind," Caevia sighed and rubbed her face. "Next you'll tell me we're opening a cinnamon bun shop when apples are out of season."

"It's not a bad idea," Renesmee teased. "I can ask mom to give me grandma's recipe."

"You're on your own," Caevia threw her arms up. "Start your own cinnamon bun bakery if you want, but you're on your own."

Renesmee laughed and hugged Caevia to reassure her that she was only joking. Perhaps when it was around the holidays, she would make cinnamon buns, but she had no intention of opening a shop for it.

Outside, Jacob and Quil noticed the pale faced man get his cart ready and they became eager. They didn't need him to be gone too long, only long enough to grab Jacob's imprint and run. It felt like it took forever for the pale faced man to get apples in his cart and start driving away. The horse moved so slowly. Jacob almost wanted to roar so it would spook the horse and make it run, but he stayed quiet as they watched the cart move further and further away from the farm. Even when they couldn't see the cart anymore, Jacob and Quil stayed in the woods. They needed to be sure that he was far away enough that he wouldn't hear anything. They could smell more apples cooking from the house as the pale faced man drove his cart away and as the two continued to wait, the smell got stronger as whatever had been cooking was placed on the windowsill to cool.

_Are you ready?_ Quil asked after the pastry was placed on the windowsill.

_I'm more than ready. Let's grab them and run. Don't waste time taking anything else, just grab the women and run._

Jacob and Quil shifted back into human form and put their pants on before sneaking through the backyard as stealthily as possible. Avoiding the pigs, Jacob and Quil went right to the side of the house to ensure they were out of the range of site of the house's window. They made their way to the front of the house and crept up the stairs making a point not to make a sound. Every time the wood beneath them creaked, they stopped in their tracks to listen for any indication the women's conversation shifted tone. The first creak was completely ignored since the women continued to talk even after the sound. The second one made once Jacob and Quil were at the top of the patio stairs, there was a moment of silence, so the two stayed still until the conversation finally continued. Jacob continued to crouch and moved the rest of the way towards the door and stood only when he was close enough. Jacob looked at Quil and silently ordered him to be ready. After that, Jacob took a deep breath and kicked down the door.

The loud noise shocked Renesmee and Caevia. They both screamed at the sudden intrusion and Renesmee began to reach for a knife. But the tallest man got to her first and lifted her over his shoulder. He yelled something in a language she'd never heard at the other man, who grabbed Caevia and a jar of each apple item she'd made the day before, and they made a mad dash for the woods from which they came. Renesmee was shocked when she heard Caevia begin yelling at the men in her own native language and the men seemed to understand her.

"_You're Quileute?"_ Quil asked of the woman when she yelled at them to put them down.

"_I speak Tistihlal! Put us down and let us go!"_ Caevia started punching Quil's back, but he ignored it and soldiered on.

Renesmee couldn't understand anything they were saying, but she kept hitting the back of the man that was carrying her. When that wasn't working, she painstakingly looked for something to bite. She pushed and maneuvered and eventually was able to reach the other side of his neck. She bit down as hard as she could and the last thing she heard was a yell before she and the man holding her fell to the ground and she hit her head, making her lose consciousness.

"Renesmee!" Caevia yelled when she saw they'd fallen. She tried pushing herself off Quil, but he wouldn't loosen his hold on her. Jacob panicked and brought his ear to her chest. When her heart was beating strong, he released a breath he'd been holding.

"_Is she alright?"_ Quil asked as Jacob lifted his imprint into his arms, able to cradle her since she wasn't fighting anymore.

"_She's alright. We need to keep running."_

"_Let us go,"_ Caevia persisted. _"Let us go and we won't tell anyone about this. Take a few pigs if you want. Take some apples, take whatever you want, just let us go."_

"_We don't want your pigs or apples,"_ Jacob said. He looked at Renesmee and was mesmerized by her. Her sleeping face looked so relaxed and she really was beautiful. _"I'm here for this woman. Quil, keep running,"_ Jacob ordered and started running as well.

Caevia continued to scream at them as they all ran through the woods, making sure to run part of the way through some water so any dogs wouldn't be able to track them later. It was done, Jacob had his imprint in his arms on his way back to the tribe. He wasn't sure what he'd do from this point. He'd have time to figure that out later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Oh, God," John said when he had a spoonful of apple pie jam. "Name your price and we the people of Olympia will pay it."

"Well, since you like it so much," Peter chuckled, "I think fifteen cents for the jam and twenty cents for the butter is fair. You can charge 20 and 25 cents in the shop, so we're both happy."

"It's a bargain," John smiled. "I'll have to keep these jars for the purpose of sampling," John said before taking another spoonful of jam.

"Will anyone besides you get to sample them?"

"If they ask me nicely," he joked. "So when do I get more jars of these masterpieces to sell?"

"I'll let Renesmee know how much you liked them and make sure she makes more. I'll need more mason jars of course."

"Since you're using these mason jars to make apple butter and apple pie jam, I'll give them to you for free."

"I'll take you up on that offer. Give me as many jars as you want to sell and I'll make sure Renesmee fills all of them up with apple butter and apple pie jam."

"I'll have to charge forty cents and forty five cents since I'm giving you these for free. I need to get the money back from these somehow."

"I won't complain," Peter smiled.

John handed over far more mason jars than Peter ever thought the man had in stock, but he accepted all of them and accepted his help to put the jars in the back of his cart. Several people saw all the jars and enquired as to what they were for to which Peter proudly announced Renesmee's idea to sell jars of his mother's apple butter and apple pie jam in the general store. Everyone he told was more than delighted with that idea and were even further delighted to have a sample of what Peter brought to the general store. Not many people got to try the jam and butter, though. The first dozen people that tried it cleaned it out before the rest of the town had a chance to try it. The townspeople demanded that there be jam and butter for sale in the general store by the end of the week: with love of course.

Now equipped with the mason jars, Peter made his way back to the house. He was looking forward to Renesmee's apple pie that she promised. He planned to suggest Renesmee take the next day to herself so she could relax before delving back into jam and butter making. They had eager customers to please now after all. Upon arriving home, Peter noticed the door was wide open and frowned a little. He would have to talk to Renesmee about leaving the door open like that. Sometimes the pigs would wonder onto the patio and if they left the door open, the pigs might get into the house and break something or worse. It wasn't until he got past the fence and was getting closer to the house that Peter realized that the door was actually flat on the floor. Peter leaped from his cart and ran the rest of the way to the house. He yelled Renesmee's name and when he entered the house, he saw a knife on the floor and several jars on their sides on the table as if it had been jolted roughly. Peter ran up and down the house yelling Renesmee's name and then looked around for her outside continuing to yell. When he got no response, Peter went back to his cart, untied the horse, hopped onto its back and made a mad dash back to town.

Further west from Olympia, closer to Forks, Jacob and Quil finally made it back. Caevia had stopped screaming when they were far from the house and there was no hope of anyone hearing her. She did, however, continue to attempt bargaining with the two men that kidnapped them, hoping that she might be able to convince them to let them go. They wouldn't relent, however, and all Caevia's demands fell on deaf ears. Renesmee had not woken up since hitting her head and it was making Caevia worry. The man holding her promised she seemed alright but that he would take her to the medicine man as soon as they got back to the tribe. Before entering the clearing where the tribe was rested, Jacob stopped and turned to look at Quil.

"_I'm going to take her to Sokajili. Take the other woman to my father's tent. The two can stay with him."_

"_You don't think she's badly injured do you?" _Quil asked about Jacob's imprint. She had been bleeding and they'd stopped a moment to clean her wound, but the fact that she hadn't come to in the past two hours was worrying.

"_I'm sure Sokajili can help her. The man's healed worse."_

"_If you hurt her,"_ Caevia started, having lost all patience for these men, _"I will make sure you pay for it."_

"_I won't hurt her," _Jacob said defensively. _"You let me worry about her."_

Caevia continued to make threats, but Jacob stopped listening to her and began walking into the village. Initially, those close looked on just to confirm who was entering the clearing. However, glances changed to gawks when they all saw Jacob carrying a sleeping white woman. More and more tribe's people stared in horror at the pale face being brought into their home and wondered what possessed Jacob to bring her here. Jacob and Quil walked towards William's tent. William poked out his head having heard the commotion and when he saw Jacob and what he was holding, he near burst a vein. Jacob ignored his father as he walked past the largest Teepee in the clearing. He also continued to ignore the other woman they brought with them as he walked away with his imprint. Quil attempted to approach William's teepee with Caevia, but William yelled for him to take her to Jacob's since he was the one that brought the two women there in the first place.

"_Jacob!"_ William yelled.

"_We'll talk after I have Sokajili look at her,"_ Jacob bobbed his head towards his imprint indicating he was referring to her. Jacob went right into Sokajili's tent and was aggravated to find he seemed to be in the middle of a moon ceremony. He sat in the corner with his imprint and waited patiently for the couple to be done.

They sat across from Sokajili with a fire between them. When instructed to, the couple hovered their left hands above the fire for as long as they could and when they pulled their hands away Sokajili threw some herbs into the fire and chanted. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he did and the couple waited patiently to hear what he had to say. Moments passed before the smoke from the herbs finally cleared and when they did, Sokajili looked at the couple with a kind smile.

"_For most prosperity, happiness and healthy children, you must wed under the half-moon in three days. Congratulations to you both."_ The couple thanked Sokajili and shared a kiss before they walked out of the tent eager to tell the tribe the good news. With them gone, Jacob walked to the fire pit with his imprint still in his arms. _"Who is this?"_ Sokajili asked when he saw the woman. Jacob was surprised at how lacking in surprise Sokajili was at the sight of Jacob holding a pale faced woman.

"_She's my imprint,"_Jacob answered.

"_I meant what is her name,"_Sokajili chuckled._ "I assumed she must be your imprint. Why else would you bring a pale face here?"_

"_I don't know her name."_

"_Well that's not a good start,"_ Sokajili laughed. _"She seems relaxed all the same."_

"_Please don't tease me,"_ Jacob said. _"She bit me while we were running, it stunned me and I tripped. She hit her head when we fell and she hasn't woken up since then."_

"_She's not bleeding at least. Rest her on the mat,"_ Sokajili motioned towards and mat and Jacob rested his imprint there and stepped back.

"_She did bleed for a bit, but as soon as we cleaned the wound, it looked like it'd already stopped bleeding. It was under her hair, though, so I couldn't get a good look at it."_

Sokajili kneeled down beside the mat and began examining the woman's head. There were small bits of dried blood here and there in her hair, but when he felt her scalp nothing seemed amiss. She didn't have so much as a head bump: interesting. Sokajili also noticed her temperature was greater than he would expect yet she looked perfectly healthy. Suddenly, Sokajili felt her forehead, then felt Jacob's forehead for comparison.

"_Well that's interesting. She's the same temperature as you."_ Jacob said nothing while Sokajili continued his examination of the woman. Then Sokajili did something strange. He took the woman's wrist and smelled it.

"_What are you doing?"_

"_She smells very sweet. Surely you must have noticed."_

"_She'd been cooking with apples for two days. That's why she smells so sweet."_

"_Hm,"_ Sokajili said with one more sniff of her wrist. He was highly skeptical but otherwise said nothing. He felt her head again and still felt nothing there. He brought his ear to her chest to listen for her heart and see if the beat was off from what it was supposed to be. Then Sokajili leaned over towards his tools and grabbed a mortar and pestle and some herbs that he mixed together appropriately. _"Put this in some water and make her drink it. She'll come to before long."_

Sokajili handed Jacob a small wooden cup holding the herbs and moved aside to allow Jacob access to the woman. But Jacob didn't take hold of her immediately. Instead he looked at Sokajili mildly disheartened.

"_Do you think she'll love me?"_

"_Women have loved the men that imprint on them since Taha Aki fell in love with his third wife. Why would this woman love you any less?"_

"_I did kidnap her."_

"_Women aren't too fond of being kidnapped I hear,"_ Sokajili joked.

"_Why do you tease at a time like this?"_

"_Because I'm your uncle and I'm allowed to,"_ Sokajili smiled. _"She won't be receptive of you at first of course. No woman would given the circumstances. But she will come to love you in time I'm sure. You must be patient, be kind, and it wouldn't hurt for you to learn_English_."_ Jacob cringed at the thought. Seth and Leah spoke English and that was all he cared about, especially considering the only need the tribe ever had for English anymore was when dealing with the Meat Monger that exchanged beef for salmon and that man was vile on looks alone.

"_Why can't she learn Quileute?"_

"_She most likely will, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effort to learn her language. Listen to me Jacob. I might not be married but I know women well enough. They like it when you go out of your way to make them happy. I wouldn't think such a thing would be too much to ask of you in this woman's case."_ Jacob looked at his imprint and saw how peaceful she really looked at the moment. He'd do anything for her, even if it meant learning English. _"I also find couples get along better when they're able to talk to each other: a basic requirement of marriage."_

"_I don't know if she'd marry me now."_

"_Not willingly, no,"_ Sokajili attempted to tease, but it just made Jacob look solemn. _"Don't worry yourself over it so much, Jacob. If your mother can love a proud man like my brother, than this woman will certainly fall in love with you."_

"_I thought you said I was more stubborn than father,"_ Jacob finally smiled. Sokajili thought a moment and smiled back.

"_Oh dear, it may be hopeless after all."_ Despite everything, Jacob laughed with the man and looked at his imprint again. Jacob stepped outside to get water for the cup and allowed the herbs to soak for a few minutes before going back to Sokajili's tent and gently pouring the liquid down his imprint's throat as best he could, making sure he didn't pour at any point she took a breath. Jacob finally picked her up and began to carry her to William's tent, but he was stopped dead in his tracks.

"_Put her in your teepee with the other woman. You come into mine right after. We need to talk."_ Jacob only nodded at his father and continued to walk away. The other woman wasn't in his tent just yet. Instead, she was in the circle of people surrounding Quil, who had managed to open up the jars. Jacob could smell it from where he stood and it was as great as it had been the day before when she'd made it.

"_Quil!" _Jacob yelled. _"Make sure you save some for me."_ Quil nodded dismissively as everyone took at least a small taste of the apple contents of the jars. When the other woman saw Jacob with his imprint, she began running towards him yelling for him to put her down. Jacob ignored her and continued to his teepee. The other woman barged in after him once he entered his teepee and went right to his imprint, trying to make her come to. Jacob poked his head out and yelled for Quil to come over, bringing the jars with him. _"I want you to keep an eye on them,"_ Jacob said to Quil before finally taking a taste of each already half empty jar. Each was so sweet and tasted so good that he nearly fell over.

"_Aren't you glad I grabbed these?"_

"_You should've grabbed more,"_ Jacob answered before taking another sampling and walking away to his father's teepee. When he let himself in, his mother was sitting in the corner while his father was pacing back and forth. He stopped when he saw Jacob. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed towards the other side of the teepee instructing Jacob to sit. Jacob did as he was instructed and waited for his father to begin.

"_Who is that woman and why did you bring her here? Where did you get her from?"_

"_I found her when she was traveling to Olympia. She's my imprint, father. I had no other choice but to kidnap her."_ Now William's eyes went wide.

"_You kidnapped her!? What were you thinking?! Do you know what you've done?!"_

"_Kayechiwetchwe," _Sara said, hoping to calm William. Aside from Sokajili, Sara was the only person anymore than addressed him by his real name. It was usually enough to relax him.

"_I had little other choice, father. I couldn't just come to her and try to start a relationship. I had to take drastic action."_

"_And what, exactly, do you think will come of this? What do you think will happen when that Meat Seller sees her?"_

"_He won't see her. We'll make sure she's well hidden when that man is around, when any pale faces are around."_

"_And how do you know she'll comply with that?"_ Jacob held his head down and looked at his hands. He realized he had no idea. Outside of kidnapping her and bringing her to his tribe, he had no idea what he was going to do from there. _"That's what I thought. You have to take her back."_

"_My love, be reasonable," _Sara spoke up in her son's defense. _"He can't take her back; they'll lynch him if he does. Even would they not, she's still his imprint. Can you say you would do any differently were you in his position and it were me?"_

"_Father,"_ Jacob interrupted. _ "I won't take her back. She stays here with me. I'll take full responsibility for anything that happens in the future, but I won't be away from her."_

"_I won't keep those women in here,"_ William asserted. _"You kidnapped them, they're your responsibility. Are we understood?"_

"_Yes father,"_ Jacob answered before bowing his head. William excused him and Jacob left the teepee and finally left Sara and William alone.

"_It will work itself out," _Sara promised. _"We just have to trust his judgment."_

"_You're too soft on that boy sometimes,"_ William said. That part of the conversation ended and William desperately changed the subject.

Jacob noticed Embry come up from the ocean side with several fish on one spear, so he waited for Embry to reach him before asking if there were any sightings of cold ones while Jacob and Quil were away.

"_One wondered near the village, but it was easy enough to kill."_

"_You made sure to burn it?"_

"_Yes, I did,"_ Embry confirmed. _"Why were you gone so long? How difficult is it to kidnap a pale face?"_

"_There was a pale faced man at the home she was staying at. I needed to wait until he was gone. Quil wouldn't let me just kill him and I wasn't about to take him with us."_

"_Do you think they'll be able to figure out we're the ones that took her?"_

"_I doubt it. They'll look at tribes closer to Olympia first. Let it be their problem."_

"_Do we have allies in that area?"_

"_No,"_ Jacob answered.

"_I heard you took another woman with your imprint."_

"_Yes, we did. She never left her side. Besides, she's of native origins. She speaks a language very similar to ours but I don't think she's of our tribe. She looks too dark for that."_

"_It would be worth asking,"_ Embry said.

"_Give me three of those fish. They're probably hungry."_

Embry pulled three small fish from the end of his spear and handed them to Jacob who proceeded to clean the fish once he was next to a fire pit. Once cleaned, he skewered all three fish with sticks so they could sit upright above the fire and cook. When they were done, he put all three in a woven basket and started looking for Seth. He wanted to have someone he trusted with him just in case the other woman might take anything he tried to say to his imprint and mistranslate it. He found Seth throwing a soft ball around with a few of the younger kids, but Seth passed the ball to someone and ran right to Jacob when he saw him.

"_You made me dinner? You shouldn't have,"_ Seth smiled.

"_It's for the two women we brought here. I need you to come with me and translate."_

"_Why did you take two women? I thought you were only after the one."_

"_There was someone with her at all times. She's a native, but I'm not sure of where. Either way, she speaks our language but I don't trust her to tell my imprint everything I want to say. That's why I want you there with me."_

"_Whatever you say,"_ Seth smiled. He followed Jacob as they went to his tent where the women were being kept, being sure to excuse Quil once he got there.

In the teepee where Renesmee and Caevia were left, Caevia did her best to bring Renesmee to. Eventually, she groaned and opened her eyes but she jumped to a sitting up position and looked around with fear in her eyes.

"So it wasn't a dream?" was all Renesmee could muster to say.

"No, it wasn't. How are you feeling? You've been unconscious the whole time we've been traveling."

"How long were we traveling?" Renesmee rubbed the back of her head a little. It didn't really hurt, but she felt dried blood and a mild wetness that seemed to be more from water.

"About two hours. We were under the cover of trees most of the time."

"Do you know where we are?"

"This tribe is seated right beside the ocean, so we're at Washington's furthest western point but that's all I'm sure of. I'm not sure whether we're northwest or southwest or even directly west of Olympia. The men that took us kept changing directions and they ran through a brook for a large portion of the way here. Dogs won't be able to track them. Would a vampire be able to?"

"I doubt it," Renesmee answered with a groan. "You understand them?" Renesmee asked when she remembered Caevia had been yelling at them in her native tongue. She couldn't think of a time Caevia had ever spoken in that language. She'd assumed perhaps Caevia had forgotten it.

"They were speaking a language like mine. They're not exactly the same, but I could understand them."

"Did they say what they're planning to do with us?"

"Not specifically. They kept saying they weren't going to hurt us, but I don't know how good their word is."

"Me either," Renesmee managed to joke. "What are we going to do? The best I can think to do is run when everyone's asleep."

"That was my first thought too, but I'm not sure we should. We don't know where we are or how far the closest town is from us."

"What other option do we have?"

"I'll start talking to the people and see if there's a town near here."

"Would they tell you?"

"So far they're curious of me from what I can tell. You, they're more wary of. So long as I talk to them alone, I might be able to milk some information out of them."

"What do they even want with us if they're not going to hurt us?"

"The man carrying you kept referring to you as his," Caevia took a moment to try and remember the word they used, "Zoayisak."

"What does that even mean?" Renesmee asked with irritation heavy in her voice.

"No idea," Caevia answered frankly. "It's not a word we use in my language. There are words they will use here and there that I don't recognize."

"So are they planning to hold us hostage for ransom, are they going to make slaves of us, are they going to sacrifice us? Hell, are they going to eat us?"

"I don't know," Caevia answered. "They won't eat us; that much I'm sure of. Cannibalism is more of a practice of southern tribes as far as I know. My tribe never practiced it but I remember a tribe we were allied with that used cannibalism as a form of asserting dominance over smaller tribes. They never did so to us of course."

"Of course not. You kept flying away." Caevia smiled at Renesmee's joke and took her in a gentle hug.

"No matter what happens, I'll make sure you're always aware of it. We'll figure out how to escape, but we'll have to be patient. I noticed these people drying meats, so I'll make sure to stock up on that. I shouldn't need too much."

"I'll leave it in your hands then."

The two continued to hug but released each other when one man and a young boy entered the tent. Renesmee recognized the man as the one that had grabbed her. She backed away ready to defend herself if needed. But now that she was looking him in the face, she realized his eyes were strangely familiar. She could swear she'd seen those black eyes before. For the briefest of moments, he smiled at her and it made her quiver but in the blink of an eye the smile was gone. The young boy was the one to come forward however and he rested a basket of fish in front of them.

"This is dinner," the boy said.

"One of you speaks English?" Renesmee asked the boy.

"My sister and I," the boy answered. The boy then proceeded to say something to the man, which Caevia immediately translated.

"He's repeating what we said to him," Caevia said. The man then said something to the boy which Caevia translated first. "That man said if we want more food, we can ask for it." Seth translated what Caevia said. _"Talk directly to me,"_ Caevia said, having gotten irritated with the arrangement. _"The boy's _English_ doesn't sound great anyway."_

"My English is just fine thank you," Seth said defensively.

"Regardless, he can talk to me directly. Anything he says I'll relay to her."

"_What is she saying?"_ the man asked the boy.

"_I told you to speak to me. I'll tell her what you're saying and that'll be the end of it."_

"_I don't trust you to translate my words accurately," _Jacob said frankly.

"_And I don't trust you at all."_

"_I don't care if you trust me or not."_ The man looked at Renesmee, and then looked at the boy. _"Ask her how her head feels. Did the medicine Sokajili give her work?"_

"_She's fine,"_ Caevia said. _"Tell me where the closest town is. We'll leave now and say nothing more of this."_

"_Seth," _Jacob looked at the boy. _"Ask her how her head feels."_

"He wants to know how your head feels."

"I'm fine," Renesmee answered.

"_She said she's alright."_

"_Thank you Seth."_ Jacob turned to leave, as did Seth, but Caevia stopped them.

"_Answer my question! Where is the closest town and how do we get there?"_

"_You both stay here. Enjoy your dinner."_

"_Where is the nearest town?!"_

"_You're beginning to make me angry,"_ Jacob mumbled more to himself than to the woman.

"_Answer my question! Don't think you can intimidate me. I've suffered worse from the hands of men born of the desert hawk. I have no fear for the likes of you!"_

"_You have nothing to fear from us anyway,"_ Jacob said sternly. _"Don't you dare tell her otherwise."_ The man and boy walked out of the tent then without answering Caevia's question.

"What did he say?" Renesmee asked once the two were gone.

"He said we have nothing to fear from them." Caevia looked at the fish. It did smell good and she was hungry. "How are you feeling?"

"I already said I'm fine."

"I mean blood wise," Caevia clarified. "If we don't get out of here soon enough and you need blood-"

"I won't drink your blood," Renesmee asserted suddenly. "That wouldn't be right and I can't promise that I would be able to stop. I'll attack something on our way back home, but I can wait until then."

"At least eat a little of this fish with me then. I know you don't like it, but it'll make me feel better."

Renesmee stared at the fish a moment. She scrunched her nose, but she took a piece off with her fingers and put it in her mouth. She forced herself to swallow it, but she couldn't stomach eating any more of it. Caevia asked her to try more, but after that first bite Renesmee refused to eat and told Caevia to eat it. It tasted good to Caevia, so she ate as much of the fish as she could, doing her best to avoid any pin bones or scales. Outside, Jacob and Seth walked to the fire pit where other members of the village were, eating their fish and foraged fruits and veggies. Seth ran over to his sister to be with her while Jacob sat down next to Embry.

"_How do they like my fish?"_ Embry asked once Jacob sat down.

"_I didn't stick around to ask. That woman we brought with my imprint is making things difficult."_

"_Do you even know your imprint's name?"_

"_I doubt that woman would tell me if I asked her to. I should've asked Seth to find out."_

"_I take it you don't know that other woman's name either right?"_

"_No,"_ Jacob answered. He grabbed a piece of fish and nibbled around the bones. He planned to eat something else while on patrol tonight, so he kept it light.

Embry stayed home from patrol that night while Jacob and Quil went out. Nothing happened while they were out and they took turns napping throughout the night. The next morning, Jacob went right to his tent and saw both women sleeping on the floor, the bowl filled with polished off fish bones. He took a hold of the basket and the sound woke up his imprint rather violently. She took in a sharp sudden breath and leaned on her elbow after she jumped. Jacob jumped too, but they both managed not to wake the other woman. The two stared at each other and Jacob managed to smile at her. He figured now was as good a time as any, so he kneeled down and rested his hand on his chest so she knew he was referring to himself.

"Jacob," he managed as he tapped his chest.

"Jacob?" she asked him and Jacob nodded. She realized he was telling her his name, so she went ahead and returned the favor. She brought her hand to her chest as Jacob had done and tapped her chest. "Renesmee," she said.

"Renesmee," Jacob repeated. _"It's a beautiful name."_

"I don't understand you," she said. This would get nowhere, so Jacob smiled at her again and left the tent. Jacob brought the basket to the fire pit ready for later use and when he turned around, he saw Embry standing behind him.

"_You look pleased this morning."_

"_I learned her name,"_ Jacob said.

"_And what is it?"_

"_Renesmee,"_ Jacob smiled more.

"_It's nice knowing her name. I take it the woman wasn't as stubborn as you thought?"_

"_She was asleep. I couldn't talk with Renesmee, but at least I know her name now."_

"_It only took days,"_ Embry joked.

"_I tried telling her I like her name but she didn't understand me. Where are Seth and Leah?"_

"_Probably still asleep,"_ Embry answered. _"It's still really early for most of us."_

"_I'll wait then,"_ Jacob said.

Jacob walked over to one of the baskets that held some salmon jerky and snacked on that for his breakfast. He waited for Seth and Leah to get out of the tent they shared. Leah and Seth preferred the arrangement they had even if to others in the tribe it seemed strange. Leah didn't want to get married after what she saw from her parents. Seth would get married one day everyone was sure, but there would be time for that after he became a man. Leah was the first one to come out of the tent, so Jacob went straight to her. He handed her a few pieces of salmon jerky first.

"_Thank you,"_ she said as she accepted the jerky.

"_You're welcome. So what are you doing today?"_

"_Helping clean some clothes and helping Loa sew her dress for her wedding tomorrow night."_

"_Could you sneak in any time to teach me _English_?"_ Leah's expression instantly became agitated.

"_It's a useless language. Don't waste your time with it."_

"_I need to learn so I can speak with my imprint. If I can learn _English_ quickly enough, it might impress her."_

"_Pale faces aren't impressed with anything but themselves. Learning her language is useless to you. If she really wants you, she'll learn Quileute and be glad for it."_

"_I see you won't help me,"_ Jacob said with a groan. _"I'll just ask Seth to teach me."_

"_Don't make him waste his time with teaching you that viper's tongue of a language. I'm shocked you even want to learn, imprinting on a pale face or not. Seth and I speak _English_ so we can trade salmon for beef with that leech man. That's all anyone needs."_

"_I'm learning _English_ for her. The sooner I can speak with her, the better."_

"_Well, you won't be learning it from me. I don't have time to waste on making a wife of a useless pale faced whore."_

"_Take that back,"_ Jacob hissed back at Leah. The tone made her take a step back.

"_Fine, she's not useless,"_ Leah said before walking away before Jacob could demand she continue her apology.

After Leah walked away, Jacob stayed near the tent and took a few deep breaths. He couldn't stay mad at Leah for her comment though. She had every reason to be hostile, more than Jacob certainly. It would take time for her to put her biases aside and accept Renesmee into the tribe. Jacob grabbed a few more pieces of salmon jerky, ready to hand it over to Seth once he came out of the tent for the day. Seth would certainly be more open to the prospect of teaching him English, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to butter him up with food (granted their own basket of food, but he couldn't concern himself with such details at the moment). Seth finally came out of the tent stretching and yawning. The young boy was excited when he saw Jacob, who proceeded to hand him some salmon jerky.

"_Good morning, Seth."_

"_Morning Jacob,"_ Seth said, accepting the jerky and taking a big bite. _"I already overheard you speaking with Leah. I'm hurt you didn't come to me first."_

"_I didn't only because Leah's_English_is a little more fluent than yours."_

"_My_English_is fine!"_ Seth defended with a sigh. _"If you want English that's to the level of a_Harvard scholar_, neither of us can help you, but if you just want to be able to communicate with a pale face, I'm your man."_

"Harvard Scholar_? What does that mean?"_ Seth began attempting to explain, but it was difficult to translate words like 'university', 'higher education', 'law practice' and 'priest school' into Quileute so Seth settled for the simplest explanation that came to mind.

"_It's a big…town for lack of a better word where men go to learn…difficult things that most men can't do."_

"_Sure, sure,"_ Jacob groaned. This prospect of learning English was beginning to become more and more daunting the more he pressed for it. He'd thought English was just a language to learn, yet here Seth was telling him there were evidently higher levels of the English language. Why couldn't it be simple like Quileute? _"Well, let's get started. Teach me_English_."_ Seth smiled a moment, then lost his smile and furrowed his brows a little in thoughtfulness.

"_I'm not sure where to start. _English_is really hard."_

"_How hard could it possibly be? You know what words to use, you put them together to communicate, what's so hard to understand about that?"_

"_There's a lot to understand. There are rules in_English_. There are exceptions and even more exceptions to the rules. _I before e except after c. Subject comes first then you use lots of words to make the subject prettier."

"_Stop, stop, stop,"_ Jacob held up his hand getting frustrated already. _"You're talking as if I understand you."_

"_The difficulties of English are hard to explain in Quileute. For example, in English, there are countless ways to say the exact same thing. Sometimes one word can mean a lot of different things. You can only find a word's meaning based on the sentence in which it's used."_

"_How can there be so many words for one thing?"_

"_Because_English_,"_ Seth said frankly. Jacob just stared at him completely at a loss as to what he was trying to say. _"I have nothing against teaching you_English_. You just need to understand this won't happen quickly. We have to practice every day. You will need to start speaking the language as often as you can. The only way you'll improve is if you continue to use it. I can't summon the wind spirits, have magical leaves fly around you and you suddenly know_English_. That's not how this works."_

"_I'll do what it takes. Just teach me."_ Seth finally smiled again and held out his hand. Jacob stared at it and grabbed a hold of it. He knew what this was at least. It was how pale faces came to agreements.

"_Well then,_ Welcome to the English School of Seth of the Quileute Tribe." Jacob just stared at Seth, clueless of what he said. _"We'll start with the basics."_ Seth pointed at his little teepee. _"Repeat after me._ Teepee."

"Teepee," Jacob repeated.

"_Other words to call it include but are not limited to:_ Hut, tent, home. _Now repeated after me. _Hut."

"Hut."

"Tent."

"Tent," Jacob repeated.

"Home."

"Home," Jacob repeated.

"_Good. A lot of this will include tiring memorization. So be ready to repeat a lot of these words several times. Now what is that?"_ Seth pointed at his teepee again.

"Teepee," Jacob answered.

"_What else?"_

"Home," Jacob remembered first. It took a moment for him to remember the others. "Tent?" Seth nodded approvingly. "Hunt?"

"Hut," Seth corrected. "Hunt_is the English word expressing to hunt. But that's good! You learned a new word already!"_

"Hut," Jacob corrected himself. "Hunt," Jacob repeated the other word.

"_You're doing great. Let's keep going. I'll teach you something you need now."_

"_And what is that?"_

"What is your name? _Repeat after me. _What," Seth instructed.

"What."

"Is."

"Is," Jacob repeated.

"Your."

"Your."

"Name?" Seth finished.

"Name?" Jacob repeated.

"_Now put it all together. _What is your name?"

"What is your name?" Jacob repeated.

"_Good. Ask that next time you see your imprint and she will tell you her name."_

"_She already told me her name,"_ Jacob said proudly.

"_She did? What is it?"_

"_Renesmee,"_ Jacob said.

"_That's not one I've heard before."_

Seth suggested they walk around the village and Seth pointed at things, said their English name and told Jacob to repeat after him. Seth had imagined this would be a daily morning endeavor, but Jacob insisted they continue through the whole day, only ending the session when it was beginning to get late and it was time for him to go out on patrol. While out, he tried to remember as much as he could, repeating each word in his head in hopes of memorizing them. It drove Quil and Embry nuts but he pressed on. Seth had told him practice was all that would make English possible, so practice is what he would do until he would be able to speak to Renesmee on his own with no one there that needed to translate for him. Surely she would be very impressed when he spoke to her for the first time in her own language. The next morning, Jacob woke Seth up bright and early, something Seth didn't appreciate in the least, and continued practicing while the rest of the tribe concerned themselves with preparing a bonfire and a feast for the wedding tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Olympia was in a state of panic after Peter rode into town yelling that Renesmee and her servant were kidnapped from the house. John and a few other men from town followed Peter back to the house and searched the property looking for anything that might indicate who had taken Peter's new wife and servant. All the pigs were eventually accounted for and there was nothing else missing in the house, so it couldn't have been bandits. Bandits wouldn't have left Peter's mother's jewelry and Renesmee's jewelry and all the money stored in the house. From what all the men could tell, it looked like the women were the only ones the perpetrators were after. Thomas found several paw prints behind the fence of the property which was very perplexing. They looked big enough to be from a bear or a mountain lion, yet that made no sense. Were it really an animal behind the attack, there would be at least one dead pig and there would be blood everywhere in the house were the animal to get into the house. Their bodies would've been left behind too. Yet the site of the kidnapping was completely clean save for the knife on the floor and the toppled over jars of apple butter and jam. The sheriff that stayed in town wasted no time sending a message of distress to the nearest military base.

"Don't worry, Peter," John said to his friend in an attempt to reassure him. "We'll find her. The sheriff is contacting someone as we speak and they'll send someone to help look for her."

"We should be looking for her ourselves!"

"If the sheriff's suspicions are correct, then we need to call in professionals. We have no experience with Indians." Peter went wide eyed and then rubbed his face.

"I can't believe that possibility never crossed my mind."

"Renesmee put too much trust in her own. It could very well have led to her kidnapping."

"I doubt it," Peter said. "Caevia's been with Renesmee for as far back as she can remember. Caevia wouldn't know any Indians in these parts anyway."

"Does that mean, then, that she wouldn't still favor the Indians over her white master any day?"

"I'll worry about that after we find Renesmee. How long will it take for someone to come to our aid?"

"To my recollection, the closest military base is in Seattle. It'll be days before they get here." Peter let his head fall against the table and nearly cried. "We'll find her, Peter. Reverend Lesley is praying for her."

Rather out of character, Peter stayed in the bar with John and drank whiskey with him. Peter was so distressed and he couldn't think clearly. It was made all the worse that he couldn't do a thing about it. He should've brought Renesmee with him when he brought the samples into town. He could've waited for a pie until later that night or the next day. He never should've left Renesmee alone. No matter how many promised it wasn't his fault and he had no way of knowing this would happen, he still couldn't shake the guilt. Her safety was his responsibility and here he was losing his wife when they'd only been married a few days. He would never be able to handle the shame if anything happened to her. He would be all the more ashamed should anything happen to her while he was at a bar in town sitting around doing nothing but drinking whiskey and waiting for a soldier to come into town that would do what he was supposed to do. He lost his taste for the whiskey after that thought and just pushed it aside.

"We'll find her," his friend promised. "Don't worry, Peter, we'll find her."

"What if we don't?"

"Don't think that way. We will find her," John promised.

Peter didn't want to be around anyone anymore, so he left after finishing glass of whiskey he'd pushed aside and went right back to the house. Perhaps this was a misunderstanding. He prayed it was a simple matter. Perhaps she had gone in the woods for some reason and gotten lost. Perhaps there had been intruders and she courageously chased them away. Peter walked around the woods outside hoping he might find her, but all he found were more footprints. These footprints however, Peter realized, belonged to a man. He followed the footprints as far as he could until he reached a brook. The footprints stopped here and his heart fell. It looked like she really had been abducted.

Back at the village, Jacob had made Seth spend the whole day teaching him more English. There were several wedding relevant words that Jacob learned that day and Seth continued teaching him more and more short, to-the-point, sentences that were easy to repeat and remember. Jacob's mother was the one to spend the day with Renesmee and Caevia. In the morning after she woke up, she went to her son's tent and let herself in with several flowers in a basket, three small bone needles, and long strands of thin bark that would be used as string.

"What is she doing?" Renesmee asked Caevia when the woman came in.

"I'll ask her." Caevia looked at the woman. _"What are you doing with those?"_

"_They're flowers we'll be stringing together for the wedding tonight. It's an easy task, so I'm sure you will both learn quickly. The others are concerned with the feast preparations."_

"What did she say?"

"She said we're going to help her string flowers together for a wedding lanyard."

"There's a wedding tonight?"

"It seems so." Caevia returned her attention to the woman. _"Tell me, where is the closest town?"_

"_It's a town called_Forks_as I recall,"_the woman answered politely._ "I couldn't tell you exactly where it is, though. I never speak with the meat dealer we converse with. I would recommend you do the same. He's a smelly man and there's a look in his eyes that's very unsettling. He tried to trade sick cow's meat for salmon when we started an arrangement with him. Luckily, my son could smell it was bad and turned it away. He never tried doing that again, but we don't trust him."_

"_What's this man's name? How often does he visit?"_ This time, the woman looked at Caevia rather suspiciously, but remained as sweet as before.

"_I don't know his name, I'm afraid. I never cared to learn it. He comes only when salmon are their most plentiful."_

"What is she saying?" Renesmee asked.

"She said there's a town called Forks near here but she doesn't know where exactly and there's a man from there that comes on occasion to trade beef for salmon."

"So when will he be here again?"

"She said he only comes when the salmon is plentiful." Caevia turned her attention back to the woman. _"When are the salmon most plentiful?"_

"_Between spring and summer time, so we won't have to see that dreadful man until then. Enough talk of that. Do as I do."_ The woman took one of the bone needles, threaded the thin bark through the small hole and began poking the stems of the flowers so they would form a long lanyard. _"Here are your needles and thread."_ The woman reached out to both holding the needles which she'd already threaded.

"What did she say?"

"She said the man won't be here until spring. Now she's asking us to do what she just did." The two accepted the threaded needles and laced the flowers as the woman had shown them.

"What is this woman's name?"

"_What is your name?"_ Caevia asked the woman.

"_Sara,"_ the woman answered. _"My son was the one that took you,"_ Sara pointed at Renesmee.

"She said her name is Sara and she's the mother of the man that took you."

"She's that man's mother?"

"_Please do not be angry with my son. He means well."_

"_Means well!"_ Caevia snapped. Renesmee and Sara jumped back a little, though Renesmee had no idea what the outburst was about. She wasn't liking being out of the loop at all. _"Your son kicked down the entrance to our home and forced us here. How can you say he means well?"_

"_There's no need to yell,"_ Sara said calmly after she took a deep breath. _"My son has imprinted on this woman. He was limited in options as to what to do about it. I acknowledge that perhaps his course of action was drastic and avoidable, but he would not have done so were this woman not his imprint."_

"_He said that word imprint, but I don't understand what you mean. We don't have that word in my language."_

"_From what people do you come now that your mention it? You speak our language so well."_

"_Not well enough to know what imprint means. Please tell me what that means."_

"_I don't know where to begin,"_ Sara admitted with a light loving smile on her face. _"My husband imprinted on me when we were young and I've loved him for as long as I can remember."_

"_So it's a lover? With all due respect to you, your son is rather crazy to refer to Renesmee as his lover."_

"_No, lover isn't the word. Lover implies only a sexual desire. It's far more than that."_

"_Renesmee is a married woman regardless. If your son wanted her so much, he should have objected at the wedding."_ Sara seemed extremely confused. Renesmee knew the feeling. She just continued working on the flower lanyard, otherwise listening to the two women speak together so fluently would give her a frightful headache.

"_Pale faces object weddings?"_

"_The man that marries a couple gives the people in attendance the option to speak against the marriage or forever hold their piece."_

"_Why object to a marriage? If the couple is to be married, the father must have approved. What reason is there to object if the father approves?"_

"_It's just a tradition."_

"_If her father approves of her husband then I can't discredit him. But I will say my son is a good man too. I want only the best for him."_

"_Are you suggesting Renesmee and your son get married?"_ Caevia asked in a rather condescending tone._ "Surely you're not serious."_

"_It will have to be up to the two of them. With her father absent at the present moment and no brother to take on the responsibilities of the father, it will have to be her decision. Jacob would never force anything, though."_

"_He's already forced her from her home and family."_

"_Again, my son's actions were drastic, but I believe it will all work out in the end. Imprinting is the purest love I know."_

"_So it's love,"_ Caevia asserted. _"If your son truly loved Renesmee, he would've let her be and live her life."_ Sara looked at Caevia with a strange look on her face.

"_You never did tell me from what tribe you came."_

"What are you two talking about?" Renesmee asked, tiring of being left out of the conversation.

"She's trying to explain the word Zoayisak to me."

"What did she say?"

"It's something romantic. That's the best I can understand so far."

"Romantic?" Renesmee rubbed her forehead and sighed. "I learned the man's name this morning. Beyond that, it's all I know of him. He couldn't possibly know anything of me."

"_What is your name?"_ Sara interrupted.

"_I'm Caevia."_

"_Very pretty name,"_ Sara said. _"So what tribe are you from?"_

"_The Tistihlal tribe of the south. We have the power to change into birds and it has cursed us with immortality. I don't know how many years I have lived but it's been too long."_

"_You can change into birds?"_

"_The men can. Women never can, but we can't reject our birds either. We are stuck in it."_

"_Interesting,"_ Sara said as she finished the first strand. _"Descendants of Taha Aki are able to shift into wolves but they always have the choice to let it go and remain human. I never realized there were other tribes that shared a similar gift to us."_

"_It's no gift. Perhaps it started that way, but selfishness and greed between twin brothers led to our downfall. At least that's how the story goes."_

"_Do they protect the tribe from cold ones as well?"_

"_Cold ones?"_Caevia asked, having never heard that term before.

"_Blood sucking night stalkers that shine in the sun. Our wolves protect us and our allies from these creatures. Do your birds do the same?"_

"_Oh,"_ Caevia said, now knowing she meant vampires. _"No, our birds did no such protecting. I come from a desert with blistering sun as a constant companion. I doubt cold ones would make such a place their home. They were soldiers if anything."_

"What's going on?" Renesmee asked.

"She asked where I'm from and what my name is. These people also know about vampires." Renesmee looked surprised.

"Do they?"

"Evidently their men have a similar power to my people but they turn into wolves that are able to fight against vampires." Renesmee froze. She remembered now! That's where she'd seen those black eyes. She remembered the vampire that had run past the caravan running away from large wolves. The reddish brown wolf had looked at her and she'd seen those human black eyes. They were the same eyes on Jacob. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just realized something. I saw the wolves before. They were the ones that came across our caravan when we were going to Olympia."

"Ah," Caevia said. "So that's when her son saw you originally."

"It looks to be that way." Renesmee put the completed flower lanyard down and scooted back in the teepee to be as alone as she could be.

"_You did a lovely job,"_ Sara said to Renesmee.

"She likes how you did on the flower lanyard."

"Tell her I said thank you," Renesmee mumbled. In truth, her head had started to hurt halfway through making the lanyard from Caevia and Sara speaking to each other. The new realization was making her head hurt more.

As it got closer to nightfall, the woman began preparing the feast and the smell of fish and root vegetables filled the air. The bride was at her family's house being sewn into her rabbit hair dress while the groom helped prepare the bonfire at the beach. Sokajili would be out there soon once his face was appropriately painted for a wedding ceremony with paint made from purple flowers. Jacob kept Seth busy with English lessons through the whole day. During his lesson, Jacob and Seth began walking towards his tent and they saw his mother step out with several floral lanyards in her arms.

"_Oh, Jacob! Good, I wanted to talk to you."_

"_Did that woman let you get to know anything about Renesmee?"_

"_You mean Caevia? Yes, she and I spoke a lot about her. We spoke about you too. I tried explaining your feelings for Renesmee, but I'm not sure she fully understands. She comes from a different world, that woman. It certainly wasn't something she enjoyed talking about."_

"_As long as she was polite to you,"_ Jacob said. _"So what did you want to talk to me about?"_

"_It's about Renesmee. The poor thing looks discontent. She could only sit there and work on these flowers while Caevia and I spoke to each other and left her out. I feel terrible for it, but I couldn't speak with her like I wanted to. I like what I've come to discover so far. Although I should bring her marriage to your attention."_

"_Her what?"_ Jacob asked suddenly and curtly.

"_Renesmee is married. I don't know how pale faces handle marriage, but from what I gather, Caevia says her marriage can be objected to."_

"_I object to it then,"_ Jacob said stubbornly and it made Sara smile a little.

"_Stubborn as always. You really are your father's son."_ Sara walked closer to Jacob and reached up to pat his face. Jacob bent down as she asked so Sara could give Jacob a kiss on the cheek. _"Tread lightly, dear. That's all I can suggest to you."_ Sara walked away and went to the beach so she could give the lanyards to the appropriate people. When they were alone, Jacob looked at Seth again.

"_I want to ask Renesmee to come to the wedding. What do I say?"_

"Would you please come to the wedding?"

"Would you please….come to the wedding?"

"_Let's practice that before you actually go in there. Then I'll teach you the_English_words for yes and no."_

Seth and Jacob stayed outside his tent practicing the question over and over again until Jacob was confident he'd remember how to say it. Then Seth reminded Jacob the English words for yes and no. Jacob did request Seth still come inside with him so any needed explanation could be provided and translated with Jacob's confidence. When Jacob and Seth stepped inside, Caevia and Renesmee looked at the two. Jacob noticed Renesmee looked less nervous of him but she still looked ill at ease. Whether that was a good thing or not was the question.

"Would you please come to the wedding?" Jacob managed, looking at Renesmee and trying to smile pleasantly. Instead of her answering, though, Caevia was the one to speak unable to resist poking fun at the man.

"_Learning_English_are we?"_

"Don't be mean to him. He's trying," Seth defended. Jacob was looking at Renesmee, though, uninterested in Caevia's comment and attempt at insulting him.

"Why would we go?" Renesmee asked. "Prisoners don't usually attend weddings."

"_She asked why they would go since they're prisoners."_

"_They're not prisoners,"_ Jacob asserted. _"I'm inviting her, so she's allowed to go."_

"_While your invitation is 'thoughtful',"_ Caevia said sarcastically, _"we will have to reject your invitation."_

"_I didn't ask you,"_ Jacob snapped back at her.

"Caevia!" Renesmee yelled. She'd had enough of this yelling in another language. "I'm sick of being left out! I'm a grown woman and I'm sick of having no control over what's going on!" Renesmee looked at Seth. "If we go to this wedding, will anything bad happen?"

"Renesmee," Caevia started.

"I want to get out of this tent! We've been stuck in here for three days doing nothing!" Renesmee looked at the boy again. "Now will be safe at this wedding or not!?" The boy took a step back and eventually looked at Jacob.

"_Long story short, she's sick of being stuck in this tent, she's mad at her for speaking for her, and she'll go if she's promised nothing bad will happen to them."_

"_She has my word,"_ Jacob assured, jumping on the opportunity.

"He said you have his word nothing will happen."

"Is that what he said?" Renesmee asked Caevia.

"He only said, 'You have my word'," Caevia answered.

"He meant that nothing would happen."

"Then make him say so in full." The young boy looked at Jacob.

"_They want you to confirm what you're promising."_ Jacob rolled his eyes and almost growled a little. This Caevia broad was making his life much harder than it needed to be.

"_She has my word that nothing bad will happen while they're at this wedding. I'm inviting her so she can move around and enjoy herself. Let her know there will be plenty of food too. I'm sure they would like more than just fish."_

"Jacob promises that nothing bad will happen while you're at this wedding. He's inviting you so you can walk around and have a good time and there will be plenty of good food to enjoy."

"Is that what he said?" Renesmee asked Caevia.

"Yes," Caevia confirmed.

"Good." Renesmee stood from the ground and gently dusted the dirt off her dress. Caevia stood and did the same, dusting the dirt off her own, humbler dress. "Would they mind if I leave the top of my bodice unbuttoned?"

"People probably walk around this village naked. I'm sure they won't care."

"No one's walking around naked this late in the year," the boy said. "It's too cold right now. When it's summer, we will. It gets really humid during the summer."

"I can imagine," Renesmee said. "What is your name by the way?"

"I'm Seth. My sister is Leah. You'll meet her at the wedding too."

"Alright. I'm ready to go."

"Well, the wedding isn't right this instant," Seth said. "It doesn't start until sundown."

"Oh," Renesmee answered, disheartened as she sat back down.

"_What's the matter?"_ Jacob asked Seth.

"_She said she was ready and I told her the wedding isn't until tonight. I guess she was just hoping to get out now."_

"_She can if she wants to,"_ Jacob said eagerly. _"I can show her around."_

"_I'm sure you two will have plenty to talk about,"_ Caevia said sarcastically.

"_You can show her around,"_ Jacob said to Seth.

"_Me? Why me? She's mean."_

"_I'm not leaving her side,"_ Caevia snapped back. _"If you really want to show Renesmee around the village, you'll take me with and you will like it."_

"What are you arguing about?" Renesmee said before Jacob could snap back.

"He's offering to take us on a tour of the village since you want to move around and get out of this tent right now. He's trying to make the boy take me so he can take you alone."

"It's Seth!" he said. "Stop calling me boy."

"Let him know I won't go anywhere without Caevia."

"_She said the mean woman goes with her,"_ Seth translated to Jacob. He groaned and rubbed his face. When he saw Caevia smile mockingly, it just irritated him even more.

"_Fine, she goes to."_ Jacob stepped outside, leaving Seth alone with the two women.

"What did he say?"

"He said she could come," Seth translated.

"That's all I ask," Renesmee said as she stood back up and dusted more dirt off. They followed Seth outside where Jacob was waiting. Seth went to Jacob's right while Caevia stood between him and Renesmee to his left. Jacob said nothing and made no sound, but he wasn't pleased in the least.

When Renesmee stepped outside, she noticed all too well that everyone in the tribe was staring at her with looks ranging from intrigue, disdain and even indifference. She preferred those that looked at her indifferently. She saw Sara among some women that looked extremely displeased with seeing Renesmee. The women spoke and she saw Sara lose her smile and begin to scold the women she sat with. At least it sounded like she was scolding them based on her tone and body language. As far as locations, there really wasn't much to show. Jacob did, however, eagerly show off the beach near the tribe, staying away from the section with the bonfire. There was too much commotion going on to prepare for the wedding. Seth translated anything that Jacob was explaining but Renesmee was barely listening. She was more interested, admittedly, in the view of the beach and the breeze it offered. Were the circumstances better, she might have actually enjoyed being there. She noticed a few women coming towards them with baskets of root vegetables and all three women seemed less than pleased to see Renesmee, but one woman in particular seemed the least pleased to see her.

"Those are for the bride and groom, right?" Seth asked his sister when the women were close enough. Leah was the one to stop while the other two women continued on towards the bonfire. The woman, Renesmee assumed it was Leah, looked at her brother mildly irritated.

"Yeah," she answered.

"_Since you're here,"_ Jacob began, _"Leah, this is Renesmee and that's Caevia. Since you speak_English_, you introduce yourself."_

"I'm Leah," she said more to Caevia. When she continued, she looked only at Caevia. _"I hear you speak our language. Welcome to our tribe. We embrace you as a sister."_

"Come on, Leah," Seth said. "You're not going to welcome Renesmee too?"

"It wouldn't be christianly to lie to her," Leah said as she looked Renesmee dead in the eye.

"It's not very christianly to loathe thy neighbor either," Renesmee said curtly right back.

"I suppose it's a good thing I'm not Christian." Leah began to walk away, but Renesmee refused to be spoken to that way and not have the last laugh.

"I'm curious, did you and your brother learn English for the good of the tribe or do I spy a quality German nose between those modest cheekbones and lovely brown eyes?" Leah turned around rather violently and glared at Renesmee. Caevia made sure not to snicker. Leah seemed to be alright with her, so she didn't want to risk ruining what could be a useful relationship.

"How'd you know our dad was German?" Seth asked, impressed.

Leah didn't answer Renesmee. Instead, she came back over and shifted the basket so she held it in one arm in order to use the other arm to grab Seth and drag him away as she started quietly scolding him in Quileute.

"_Seth!"_ Jacob yelled, but Leah wouldn't allow her little brother to go back and she continued to scold him for bringing up their father and in front of strangers no less. Jacob sighed heavily and it made Caevia smirk a little.

"_Looks like you're stuck with me as your translator."_

"_Joy,"_ Jacob said sarcastically. _"Will you at least translate what I say accurately?"_

"_Only if you're a good boy,"_ Caevia said, attempting to make a mean spirited jab at his being a wolf, but considering that wasn't really a fraise their language used and certainly not in reference to domesticated dogs, the harsh joke fell flat on him.

"Tell him the beach view is lovely and I appreciate the fresh air," Renesmee told Caevia suddenly. Caevia repeated what she'd said to Jacob and it earned a rare and genuine smile from him. Renesmee felt butterflies in her stomach and she didn't like it. She felt really uncomfortable, though whether it was the radical change of environment, worry over Peter and what he must be going through, or the plain fact that somehow despite everything this man was managing to get under her skin, she wasn't sure.

"_No matter where we rest, we always stay close to the ocean. We catch the best fish that way."_

"He said the tribe likes to stay near the ocean."

"I don't wonder why."

The sunset against the water was quite a site to see. Since Renesmee seemed uninterested in any further explanation and since Seth was no longer there to translate for Jacob with his complete confidence, Jacob turned his attention to Caevia and asked what she and Leah had started arguing over that would bring up hers and Seth's father.

"_Renesmee noticed Leah has pale faced features."_

"_Oh,"_ Jacob said. _"If she brought them up, I can see why Leah would be upset."_

"_Renesmee doesn't take well to being spoken to the way Leah did, so she bit back at her in a way she assumed might upset her."_

"_Bringing up Leah's and Seth's lineage would certainly do that."_

"_So if they're half white, how did they end up here with your people? I admit my people are far less accepting of anything less than a pure blooded Thunderbird."_

"_They're my cousins and my mom had done everything in her power to convince my aunt Uileila not to marry the pale faced man, but she wouldn't be convinced otherwise. My aunt wound up being beaten to death by her husband and Leah shot her father so she and Seth could escape with their lives. They came running to us and my mother embraced them into the family as if they were her own. I remember sharing a blanket with those two when we were little and we still stayed in my father's home."_

"_They're lucky they were accepted so readily."_

"_All things considered, our people need to stick together. We'd be lost if we didn't."_ There was a moment of silence between them as they continued to walk leisurely before Jacob decided to talk about what he really wanted to talk about._ "If I were to ask you to tell me things about Renesmee, would you tell them to me?"_

"What are you two talking about?" Renesmee asked having heard her name mentioned in the conversation.

"We were talking about Leah and then he asked me if I would tell him things about you if he asked."

"Ah," Renesmee said. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to humor him. Just don't mention my parents. I'd like to get out of here alive thank you." Caevia laughed a little.

"I won't bring up the whole 'half breed' thing." She turned her attention back to Jacob. _"She's fine with it."_

"_Does that mean you'll actually tell me anything?"_

"_If I feel it's appropriate for you to know then I will answer you."_

"_I'd rather speak with her."_

"_Well, until you learn English, you're out of options."_

"_Fine,"_ Jacob grumbled. _"Where is she from originally?"_

"_She was born in Milwaukee,"_ Caevia answered.

"_Where is that?"_

"_It's East of here."_

"_Far East?"_

"_Far enough that the trip here took us several weeks, but not far enough that it reaches the most eastern part of _America_."_

"America_?"_

"_It's the name the pale faces gave to the nation as a whole and it's divided into several_states_."_

"_What are_states_?"_

"_Think of them as massive tribes bigger than you can begin to imagine depending on what part of the__country__you're in that are filled with people and have strict beginning and ending boundaries of land. She was born in a_state_called Wisconsin."_

"_Did she not like it there?"_

"_She wasn't living there before we left. Most recently she had been living in _Chicago_ in a state called _Illinois_ which is right below _Wisconsin_. She wanted to be on her own so she decided to move to a far part of the__country__and become a bride."_

"_I already objected to it, so it isn't a problem."_ Caevia didn't bother trying not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Renesmee asked.

"He said he already objected your marriage." Caevia had to take a deep breath before going on. "He thinks that's valid."

"_What are you laughing for?"_

"_You're a little late to object to her marriage. She's already married, it's done, and it's_legal_."_

"_You keep using words in_English_that I don't know. What does_Legal_mean?"_

"_It's a term referring to laws of the people. So according to the laws of her people, she is a married woman and no whining and moaning on your part is going to change that. If you wanted to object to the marriage, you should've spoke up when the man marrying them asked for those with objections to speak up."_

"_I didn't even know she was married until mom told me."_

"_Oh well, nothing you can do. I suppose you'll just have to take us back."_

"_It doesn't matter anyway,"_ Jacob said stubbornly after he stared at Caevia meanly for a moment before taking a deep breath. _"The pale faces and their laws hold no importance to us."_

"_Not to you maybe, but that doesn't solve anything."_

"What are you telling him?" Renesmee asked.

"I'm telling him that stomping his feet like a big baby and crying 'no' won't change that you're a married woman." Renesmee looked away and shifted her attention to her ring. It was just a simple gold band and it was slightly too big. She'd started wearing it on her middle finger so it wouldn't fall off her until she could have it sized correctly.

"I'm glad you seem to have warmed up to my getting married."

"I didn't say that," Caevia said. "All I told him was the matter is legally binding and that's that. On the bright side, once we get out of here, we can let them think you're dead and just go back to Chicago."

"Caevia," Renesmee said sternly.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll focus on getting us out of here. We'll worry about where to go later."

"We're going back to Olympia," Renesmee said.

"_What are you two talking about?"_

"_Nothing important. She just agrees that, seeing as she's married, there's not a thing you can do about it now. You really can still just take us back now and we'll tell her husband Peter that we just got lost in the woods. No one has to get in trouble."_

"_I can't be sure of that."_

"_Well then, you shouldn't have taken us in the first place."_

"_I didn't want to take you, I only wanted her. You just wouldn't leave her alone."_

"_And it's a good thing I didn't, otherwise she'd be more frightened than she already is. I don't know what possessed you to think you could just kidnap her, force her into a completely different world and culture and just expect her to recover instantly from culture shock and fall madly in love with you. You can't force people away from their homes and expect them to be alright with that."_

"_I'm giving her a better home."_ This time Caevia didn't laugh in his face as he'd expected. She'd laughed at him for everything else, so why not this. Instead, however, she just sighed and began to scratch her head.

"' _Better home' is a matter of opinion at this point. I've been trying to convince her we should go back to Chicago since we got here, but she's been determined to move on with her life and be independent from her family."_

"_Does she not love her family?"_

"_Of course she loves them. She just feels that she's a grown woman and it's time she started living like one. I don't think that necessarily had to mean she up and leave home to get married to a complete stranger, but she insisted."_

"_So she doesn't even love this Peter?"_

"_Don't get your hopes up,"_ Caevia said in a harsh tone. _"Just because she doesn't love Peter doesn't mean you have any chance. She'll swear up and down that she's at least fond of the man and under that basis alone she's been stubbornly trying to make a happy marriage. And quite frankly, boy, even if that weren't the case, you're still beneath her."_ Jacob stopped in his tracks and just stared at Caevia. Renesmee noticed and stopped as well.

"What's going on?" Renesmee asked.

"He's just being bullheaded. Pay him no mind."

"No, tell me what's wrong. You said you two are talking about me, so what are you telling him that's made him upset? I trust your judgment, Caevia, but that doesn't mean I'm exactly comfortable here."

"We were talking about your husband and how you're a devoted wife and he's taken offense to me stating the obvious."

"And what is the obvious?"

"That you're too good for this brute." Renesmee looked at Jacob and saw that he was noticeably upset. She couldn't help herself. She felt such a pang of sorrow when she saw the look on his face. He looked determined and stubborn yet she could swear something in him seemed to look defeated. It just didn't suit him.

"Try talking about other things, Caevia. The more you upset him, the less likely we'll be to get out of here alive."

"We'll get out of here alive no matter what. The only bright side to this mutt taking a shine to you is we at least know he won't hurt you."

"_First of all,"_ Jacob interrupted, _"who are you calling a boy?"_

"_To me, you are a boy. Even your father is a boy to me. I've been alive a long time, Jacob. I might not be able to fly but I'm cursed with the same everlasting life as my father before me. In regards to your second point,"_

"_What second point? I didn't make a second point yet."_

"_I already know what your second point is,"_Caevia said. _"Your second point is going to be a dragged out explanation of what makes you so much better than the pale face Renesmee married. I don't care if you're the son of the chief of this tribe. Her father certainly wouldn't care either. I don't care if you can turn into a wolf, I don't care if you're a great hunter and fisherman. I don't care how grand a teepee you can build and I certainly don't care about the quality of your….masculine merits for lack of a better word."_

"_Do you care whether or not the man she marries loves her?"_

"_Of course I care."_

"_Then take that point into account. For your information, I wasn't going to mention any masculine merits as you called it. As far as I'm concerned, the fact that I imprinted on her is proof enough that I'd be good for her. I'll love her more than anyone else in the world, especially that complete stranger Peter."_

"_I still don't fully understand what this 'imprinting' nonsense is and I don't care."_

"_It's not nonsense!"_

"_Whatever you call it, I still don't care. You broke down the entrance to the home, threw her onto your back like she was a bundle of wheat, and near killed her when you fell to the ground. Even you can understand why I and especially she might not be too fond of you."_

"I asked you to talk about something else," Renesmee suddenly interrupted.

"How'd you know-"

"He still looks upset so either you're still going on about my marriage or you've brought something else up that's making him angry. Whatever's going on, I want that topic dropped."

"_What did she say?"_ Jacob asked.

"_She's asking that whatever we're talking about needs to no longer be spoken about."_

"_That's alright with me,"_ Jacob answered. Suddenly, drums began to sound, indicating that the wedding was about to proceed and the village had to make their way to the pile where the bonfire would be lit. _"Let her know the wedding's about to start and follow me."_

Jacob turned and began to walk in the direction of the ceremony. Caevia translated what Jacob said and they followed after him. It was very nearly nightfall. Just a few more minutes and the moon would be the only light in the sky. This was the optimal time to start a wedding. Quil sat with Claire's family when they got to the beach and Embry took a seat near them. Jacob took a seat near the back and instructed both women to sit next to him. When Jacob sat down with the two women, Embry glanced over so he could see what all this fuss had been about. After all the trouble Jacob made Quil go through for that woman, she'd better have a face that caused him to drop dead from her beauty. Embry saw the pale faced woman Jacob had gone through all the trouble for, but she wasn't the one that held his attention. He noticed the other woman, a woman with sun kissed skin (more so than anyone else in the tribe) dark eyes and what he could only imagine was silky black hair. Everything shifted for him and his heart skipped a beat. He was suddenly very grateful for all the trouble Jacob had gone through for his imprint seeing as it brought Embry his own.

"_Hey, fish eyes,"_ Quil said, poking fun at how love struck Embry suddenly appeared. _"Has the world shifted for you too?"_

"_Yeah,"_ Embry mumbled.

Quil chuckled, _"I guess it's a good thing Jacob got impatient and decided to nab her too."_

"_Yeah,"_ Embry mumbled again. _"What's her name? Jacob never told me."_

"_I don't know if he told me or not. If he did, I don't remember."_

"_It's Caevia,"_ Seth answered from two rows ahead. _"Be careful, though. She's really mean."_

"_So she hasn't cooled down since we brought them here? Maybe seeing you will make her warm up to us a little bit. It might help Jacob with his imprint too."_

"_From what I've gathered,"_ Seth continued, _"She's trying to figure out a way to get the two of them out of here. She keeps asking where the nearest town is and how to get there."_

"_I say good riddance to the pale face,"_ Leah said.

"_Are you still mad about the German nose comment?"_

"_German nose comment? What does a German nose even mean?"_ Quil asked.

"_She was just pointing out Leah's more pale fa-"_ Seth was silenced with a swat to the head from Leah, who then proceeded to tell him to be quiet and then tell Quil and Embry that it wasn't important. Embry wasn't really listening though.

"_You said her name is Caevia? That's a beautiful name."_

"_Well go for it. The worst she can do is yell at you. I'm sure she's run out of air by now, though, so you're alright."_

Embry took a quick glance around to make sure he could move without offending the bride or groom, but alas the wedding was about to begin. So he had no choice but to sit tight and wait for Sokajili to complete the ceremony and for the bride and groom to light the bonfire, signifying the start of their marriage. Sokajili's face was painted with streaks of purple while the groom wore a wolf headdress and the bride wore her dress made from the fur of snow rabbits. The actual ceremony didn't take long. Sokajili just resounded chants of prosperity and happiness for the couple. He asked the father of the bride to confirm before all that the presented young man was good enough to marry his daughter. The father of the bride welcomed the young man to the family. After that, four women went across from the bride and groom, the woodpile for the bonfire between them, and began dancing with a baby on each of their backs in little baskets. The dance had the women focusing their movements on their chests, stomachs and hips as the drums played accompanied by a drum filled with small rocks and a crud flute (at least it looked and sort of sounded like a flute to Renesmee). Renesmee glanced at Caevia and was taken aback by the look of surprise on her face. She scooted a little closer to Caevia and asked her question as quietly as possible.

"Are you alright?"

"I recognize this dance," Caevia answered.

"What is it?"

"It's a fertility dance. Women who've recently had sons dance together with their sons on their backs so as to offer the bride good fertility. It can only be performed by women who've bared children and only their sons can join the dance, otherwise it's considered bad luck."

"Your tribe practiced this dance?"

"Yeah," Caevia answered.

"Did you ever participate?"

"Of course not," Caevia said a little more harshly than she'd intended. "Only the Tistihlal were allowed to do this dance. My father was Tistihlal but by virtue of my mother being of the slave class, my joining in the dance would be blasphemy."

"Is such a thing done in this tribe?"

"I don't know."

Renesmee was surprised out of the conversation when she heard the song end with a loud bang of the drum and the couple lighting the bonfire, signifying the beginning of their marriage. Applause for the couple roared as they shared a kiss and finally all the guests were allowed to stand and dance around the pyre. Embry took that opportunity to go right to Jacob and the two women that stood next to him. Embry didn't bother speaking to Jacob. He just went straight to Caevia and smiled his kindest smile.

"_Caevia,"_ Embry said when he was close. At first, the woman looked mildly annoyed and even surprised. She didn't recognize that voice and she certainly didn't know how this voice would know her name. Yet when he looked at him in the eyes, she was speechless.

"_How do you know my name?"_ she eventually managed.

"_Seth told me,"_ Embry answered, pointing at the boy in question. _"My name's Embry by the way. I'm sorry I've only just now spoken to you."_

"_It's fine,"_ Caevia answered hurriedly and immediately looked at Renesmee. "This guy says his name is Embry. He's just introducing himself."

"Is he a wolf too?"

"I'll ask," Caevia said. She looked at Embry again and the smile he had made her flutter again. It was such a strange and alluring feeling. _"Are you one of the wolves too? You can turn into wolves right?"_

"_Myself, Jacob and Quil can become wolves. Only descendants of Taha Aki are able to turn into wolves."_

"_Who is Quil?"_

"_He was the man that came with me when I got you two,"_ Jacob answered.

"He said he does turn into a wolf. Only descendants of Taha Aki are able to do that."

"Who's Taha Aki?"

"I don't know. Probably an old chief from years ago." Jacob finally looked at the way Embry was looking at Caevia and for the first time, he felt like there was hope. Maybe now Caevia would see where he was coming from. Maybe now she'd understand how much he already loved Renesmee. Maybe now she'd help ensure Renesmee stays.

"_Embry, can I talk to you for a moment?"_

"_About what?"_

"_Just come with me so we can talk."_ Embry followed Jacob until they were out of earshot of the woman but still able to keep an eye on them. _"You imprinted on Caevia?"_

"_Yeah,"_ Embry smiled. _"I should thank you for kidnapping your own. I guess I owe you an apology."_

"_Instead, you can get Caevia off my back."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

"_She's being unreasonable. I realize kidnapping Renesmee was drastic, but I want to make it up to her and Caevia won't let me. She won't let me really get to know her. I'm trying to make sure Renesmee isn't scared of me and I don't think Caevia's helping. I might have more luck if you could somehow get her to leave me and Renesmee alone."_

"_How would I do that?"_

"_I saw the way she was looking at you. She clearly likes you."_

"_That doesn't mean I'll be able to convince her to hang around me and leave you alone with Renesmee. And I won't force her either. That won't help either of us."_

"_I know."_ Jacob groaned and rubbed his face. _"We need to figure something out."_

"_For that matter, Renesmee doesn't speak Quileute. How do you expect for the two of you to get to know each other if you don't even speak the same language? What Seth taught you so far is hardly enough for the two of you to hold meaningful conversations."_

"_What I know is better than nothing. At least ask Caevia to dance or something."_

"_Okay," _Embry smiled._ "I'll try that."_

Embry and Jacob walked back to the women, neither of whom had moved. Caevia was keeping her eyes on the two men as they spoke, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. Renesmee could hear them, but when she tried repeating it to Caevia to translate, she kept mispronouncing things and she just gave up. She managed to relay that the term Zoayisak came up again, but that was about it. She saw Embry run towards them eagerly and he stopped right in front of Caevia.

"_Dance with me?"_ Embry asked her.

"_Excuse me?"_ Caevia said with a surprised stare.

"_Come dance with me. We're at a wedding. We're all supposed to dance. It's bad luck if all the guests don't dance at least once."_

"_I,"_ Caevia began before looking at Renesmee. She looked up at Jacob then. She wanted to threaten him, but something stopped her. She was wondering if perhaps this had been what he'd been talking about the whole time. If this feeling was what 'Zoayisak' really meant, then she'd be a hypocrite if she stopped him. She'd been nagging Renesmee since leaving Chicago that she was making a mistake throwing herself at the first man she found just because she wanted out of her parent's house. It looked like she'd been right about that all along, just not the way she'd imagined. _"I'm still watching you."_ Then Caevia allowed Embry to pull her with him to the bonfire so they could dance with the rest of the guests. Renesmee wasn't sure what to do. Without Caevia being there, she would **really** be out of the loop.

"_Well,"_ Jacob began, getting Renesmee to look at him._ "You heard Embry. It's bad luck for all the guests not to dance at least once."_ Renesmee just stared at him and it made Jacob lose his smile and start to scratch his head. He racked his brain for any words Seth had taught him that were relevant to what he wanted to say to her. "You," Jacob finally started, pointing at her, "me," he continued now pointing at himself, "there," ending with pointing at the guests dancing around the bonfire. It was the best he could manage.

"You want to dance?" Renesmee asked, not that it mattered. He couldn't understand her either. They just stared at each other, completely unsure if the other understood what they were saying.

He was getting frustrated and he knew it. So instead of continuing to attempt explaining himself, he reached to take a hold of Renesmee's hand. The sudden reach made her jump, but Jacob pulled through and when he had a hold of her hand, he pulled her with him to the bonfire and led her in a basic dance around the fire. Renesmee was so at a loss as to what was going on that she just went with what he was doing hoping whatever was going on wouldn't end badly somehow. After spinning around the fire a few times, Jacob pulled Renesmee away from the group dance. Renesmee looked back and saw Caevia still dancing with Embry. She couldn't believe her eyes. Caevia was dancing with the brightest smile she'd ever seen on the woman's face. She'd known Caevia most of her life and she couldn't recall her ever smiling and laughing like that. She was normally such a cynic, so used to the hardships life had thrown at her. It was bizarre to see her truly unwind and look genuinely happy.

"Renesmee," Renesmee looked at Jacob when she heard him say her name. Then Jacob continued with a fraise Seth had taught him that he knew was relevant and that he could use. "Come with me," he managed.

His accent was thick. She could tell he was having the slightest trouble pronouncing the m in come and me, but otherwise she could understand him. Jacob continued to hold her hand as he led her back up towards the village. She kept looking back at Caevia, but she remained distracted by the festivities. Jacob took her right to his tent and tied the inside so they wouldn't be bothered. That had Renesmee instantly on edge. She backed away and began to cradle herself. Jacob was still smiling when he looked at her, but when he saw how scared she looked, his smile went away and he tried thinking of any words or sentences that Seth had taught him that might help him convey that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"You," Jacob pointed at her, "safe," Jacob then pointed at himself, "with me," he finally managed.

"I'm safe with you?" Renesmee repeated back.

"Yes," Jacob said with a nod, finally smiling again. They were getting somewhere and it felt great. He began moving closer, but Renesmee scooted back again.

"Don't touch me," she said weakly. She wanted to be more assertive, but something about the sweet and eager smile wasn't letting her. And when he lost his smile and looked dejected, her sternness faltered even more.

"I not hurt you," Jacob said again. He thought about anything else to say. There was only so far repeating that over and over again would get him.

"That doesn't mean I trust you. I'm a virtuous woman and if I sleep with any man, it'll be my husband."

She saw the confused look on his face and realized he didn't have a clue what she was talking about. For all she knew, he wasn't trying to rape her. But what else could he possibly want with her? Why else would be bring her back to his tent while Caevia's distracted and the village is concerning themselves with the wedding? Seth had not taught Jacob how to express love and expressing imprinting was difficult enough in his own language let alone a language he just barely started learning and so far seemed to be doing poorly at. His best bet was to try and make her visualize what he wanted to say. He grabbed a small stick from the corner of his teepee and worked to get a fire going so they could see each other better. Once the fire was strong, Jacob grabbed another small pointy stick and began drawing, motioning for Renesmee to look at what he was drawing.

He started with the realm of the great spirits, the human world, and finally the world of the afterlife. To Renesmee it appeared to be a basic depiction of heaven, earth and hell. Once Jacob was sure he'd drawn the three worlds accurately, he began doing his best to draw Renesmee to the right of the three realms. He could barely manage more than a stick figure wearing a pooffed western dress with long curly hair. Renesmee assumed he was trying to depict her, but she couldn't be sure. After he'd finished that part, he started drawing a bizarre looking wolf, again barely managing more than a stick figure. Once that was drawn, he finished with two curved lines starting from the top realm ending right above the woman's head and another curved line that started from the bottom realm and ended right underneath the woman. Renesmee just stared at the little drawing at a loss again.

"You," Jacob started and pointed at the woman. "Me," he said then pointed at the wolf. He hadn't learned the words to accurately depict the three realms, so he waited for her to say something. Anything.

"I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?" All Jacob could tell was she looked confused. He vaguely recalled at one point that Caevia had mentioned imprint to Renesmee, so he tried mentioning that.

"_You're my imprint, Renesmee. I am what you need me to be and I'll love you unconditionally till the day I die."_ Renesmee looked at Jacob with some degree of awareness and it made him smile again. He noticed she seemed to blush and that made him feel even better.

"Zoayisak," Renesmee repeated, pointing at the picture. Jacob nodded eagerly.

"_Yes,"_ he initially said in Quileute, but then he caught himself and said, "Yes."

At the bonfire, Caevia and Embry finally stepped away still talking about nothing. She'd never felt so at ease with a man before and she was almost angry how much she enjoyed this stranger's company. When they stepped away, however, Caevia realized Renesmee wasn't there. She asked Embry where they went and, just as a guess, he suggested Jacob's teepee. Caevia started running back towards the village and Embry followed after her, trying to tell her Renesmee was alright and they would only be talking. Well, 'talking', but Caevia would have none of it. She found Jacobs tent and pushed the small leather door until it was forced open, ruining the strings that locked the door from the inside.

"_Get away from her!"_ Caevia yelled. She attempted to push Jacob aside before running to Renesmee, smudging the picture as she went, but he was too strong for her to actually push aside. "Did he do anything to you?"

"No," Renesmee managed. "He drew me a picture, but I didn't understand it really. I think he was trying to explain what Zoayisak means."

"So you're alright?"

"Yes," Renesmee answered.

"_I'm sorry, Jacob. I tried to tell her everything was alright, but she wanted to see for herself."_

"_Everything is not alright,"_ Caevia snapped back. _"I never said you could walk away with her to your tent. You have a lot of nerve trying make sleep with her."_

_"What?!" _Jacob yelled. _"That wasn't my intent at all! I just wanted some time alone with her to get to know her without you breathing down my neck!"_

"_Well I'll be breathing down your neck a lot more from now on."_

"_Caevia,"_ Embry spoke up. She looked up at the man and wasn't nearly as receptive as before. As far as she was concerned, he was just doing a friend a favor and distracting her. That realization hurt really bad.

"_I understand you were helping him, but I suggest you leave me alone from now on."_

"_You misunderstand," _Embry said._ "Yes, Jacob did want you distracted, but he only came up with the idea when he realized I'd imprinted on you."_

Caevia went stiff a moment and looked up at Embry again. So she had been right. Now she really didn't know what exactly to do. She decided, however, that now was not the time to think about it, so instead she did the practical thing.

"_Thank you for showing us the tribe and bringing us to the wedding. It was nice to get out and move around."_

"_You're both welcome to do so again,"_ Jacob jumped in. _"You don't have to stay in this teepee. Just come out and walk around when you want to, just stay within the limits of the tribe's boundaries that way you'll both be safe."_

"_Yeah, that way you can both get integrated and start getting to know people. I know she doesn't speak our language, but you could teach her. Seth is teaching Jacob _English_."_

"_We'll keep that in mind. Now please leave. We're both tired." _Although Jacob wanted to say more, he took Embry's advice and moved to leave. But before he did, he looked at Renesmee, then Caevia one more time.

"_How do you say goodnight in _English_?"_

"_I'll let her know you wished her good night."_

"_No,"_ Jacob answered. _"I want to tell her myself."_ Caevia sighed.

"_Say, _'Good Night,'" she answered for him. Renesmee looked at Jacob again assuming he would repeat after her.

"Renesmee, Good Night," he said and smiled once more to her before walking out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Peter," Sheriff Todd began as he presented the US Soldier standing before them in the jailhouse, "this is Sergeant Brandon D. Lovejoy. He's the one who will be helping us."

"Directly at least," Sgt. Lovejoy Clarified. "So how long has your wife been missing now Mr. Wallis? It's your wife and her servant that were kidnapped correct?"

"Yes and it's been five days now," Peter answered. "I found footprints leaving my home, but they stopped at the brook. The Sheriff already had a dog sniff around there and the scent stops there."

"Indians can be crafty little devils," Sgt. Lovejoy chuckled. "But don't you fret, Mr. Wallis. We will find your wife and we will bring her home safe and sound. The Indians that took her will taste the cold hard slap of justice."

"As long as you bring Renesmee home," Peter said. "I can only imagine what those savages are doing to her."

"It could be a number of things," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "In my experience, they usually make their white captives slaves or kill them when they don't get their demanded ransom." Peter cringed, but Sgt. Lovejoy ignored him and spoke with Sheriff Todd. "You've not received any kind of notification of ransom from any of the Indian tribes nearby?"

"Not at all," Sheriff Todd answered. "There's only one tribe really close to us and I already spoke with them and searched the grounds. Mrs. Wallis isn't there. I had the dog sniff around for her and he couldn't catch even a whiff of her."

"I'd like to visit them one more time regardless. They might know something more than they're letting on. Do any of them speak English?"

"A few of them do. I know the chief does. They told me they saw large wolves prowling the area around that time, but I doubt that's relevant."

"Certainly not," Sgt. Lovejoy agreed. "Not to our missing person's situation at least. I would recommend keeping an eye on that problem, though, especially your farmers. Wolves do love to nab things that aren't theirs."

"Sergeant," Peter said, getting Lovejoy's attention. "Can we please stop this idle chatter?"

"You're right, of course." Sgt. Lovejoy nodded his head and walked over to the fresh pretty new map the Sheriff had hanging in his office and looked at the Washington landscape. "My colleagues and myself have kept a detailed map of what Indian tribes are where. The big one is the Spokane Indians here," Sgt. Lovejoy pointed to a spot just ten miles outside of Spokane, Washington. "While I wouldn't rule it out, it's highly unlikely they would've done it. We've managed to keep them under our thumb since killing their horses and introducing them to God. Granted it's Catholicism, but given they're damned regardless, we can't concern ourselves with that. We have a very small military base out there and we've messaged them to look for her at the Spokane reservation. They'll send a letter letting the base in Seattle know what they find, but we can't waste time waiting for that answer."

"Like I said, I already asked the Indians near us and they don't know anything."

"Yes, we have their location documented too. Then out east we've got a hefty collection of tribes scattered about but the one that causes the most trouble, according to Forks, are the Quileute Indians. If I remember the mayor's telegram correctly he said, 'it's a good thing they trade us salmon or we would never put up with them'." Sgt. Lovejoy chuckled.

"Can you tell them to look for her?"

"No, I won't send them to the Quileute Reservation. From what I've been told, they're violent and aren't easily dealt with. I can only imagine what might happen if we send less than a professional out there to reason with them."

"Are they the ones that took Renesmee?" Peter jumped.

"I doubt it," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "While they're more uppity than the Spokane, they are still very far away: too far away for them to be a reasonable suspect. That does not mean we will rule them out, though. There are several other tribes near them, but I couldn't get much information on them. Port Angeles never really deals with their Indians, so they don't know much about them. 'They leave us alone, we leave them alone and everybody is happy,' to quote their mayor."

"So are we going to go to each individual tribe and look for her?"

"That's our only real option. It may be tedious, but it's what we have to do and we'll start with the Indians nearest us. What do they call themselves?"

"Taka-something. It's so long I can't remember it for shit."

"That's alright, I can never remember all of them either."

"So when do we leave?"

"My men and I will begin the search tomorrow after we replenish supplies."

"I'm going with you."

"Absolutely not, Mr. Wallis," Sgt. Lovejoy asserted. "This needs to be handled delicately and by professionals. You need to stay home and wait-"

"All I've done thus far is stay home and wait. I'm sick of it! That's my wife out there and it's my responsibility to protect her. I'm going with you."

"Peter," Sheriff Todd said, "I must insist you take the Sergeant's advice and stay here. There's a lot that could go wrong and it wouldn't be right of Sgt. Lovejoy to allow a civilian to go along."

"It doesn't matter that I'm a civilian, it's my wife we're looking for. I don't care what you say, Sgt. Lovejoy. I'm going with you to look for Renesmee." Sgt. Lovejoy sighed heavily to himself and said nothing. If the man really insisted, then he'd let him go but he would not be responsible if anything happened to the pig farmer in his quest to become a white knight.

The whole town was bustling about the Sergeant Lovejoy and the three men he'd brought with him from Seattle. It was a treat to have visitors from the big city up north and the Tavern owner's wife was keeping the soldiers entertained with beer and whiskey. Late that night as the Tavern owners wife was cleaning the bar between drink orders, a man walked in that she didn't recognize. He was quite a handsome man, but she thought it was rather strange that his hat was drawn so low over his eyes.

"Can I help you?" the wife asked when the traveler came in. He shook his head and began to meander around the bar looking for what she assumed were women of questionable morals and taste. The wife harrumphed under her breath and ignored the man.

As the stranger searched the bar, he overheard all the talk about the pig farmer's wife and her servant being kidnapped. He had no interest until he heard the names of the victims: Renesmee Wallis and Caevia. He only knew one couple that would be crazy enough to name their daughter Renesmee and that was the Cullens. What in the hell was Edward Anthony Mason Cullen's daughter doing so far away from home? The man would sooner let his right foot wander away from him. The stranger walked up to the wife and took a seat. He kept his hat drawn down so his fresh red eyes weren't visible, but made sure his charming smile was clear. The wife was flabbergasted and blushed.

"What's your name, young lady," the stranger asked.

"Oh," the wife giggled, "you charming devil you. I'm no young lady."

"You lie to me," the stranger said, pretending to be surprised. The woman was hardly haggardly. She was a lovely lady, but she certainly looked her ripe age, but flattery got one a long way.

"Oh, never," she continued to giggle. "I'm almost fifty."

"By God, you look twenty." The woman giggled more and gently swayed her rag.

"Stop," she said with a smile.

"But please, fair maiden, do tell me your name."

"It's Mary," she answered.

"Such a virtuous name. Your husband is a lucky man."

"Make sure you tell him that when you see him."

"Most certainly," the stranger answered. "Mary, I must ask."

"Ask me anything kind stranger, but only after you've told me your name."

"Garret," the stranger answered.

"Okay, now I'll be an open book."

"Excellent," Garret replied. "I've heard around town that a woman has gone missing. Renesmee was her name?"

"Yes," Mary said in sadness. "She and her slave Caevia. She insisted that woman wasn't a slave, but it's hardly like she paid the woman."

"What was she doing here in the first place?"

"Oh, she came here from Chicago to marry Peter Wallis. The poor thing was only here barely more than a week and married three days when she was taken away by Indians."

"By Indians?" Garret repeated.

"Yes, the horror of it all! Sgt. Lovejoy just came down from Seattle and will be helping us look for her. I don't suppose you've seen a young woman with reddish hair and an Indian woman in your recent travels?"

"I can't say that I have. How long ago was she taken?"

"Five days ago," Mary answered.

"That's quite a long time," Garret said. "Thank you so much for your help, Fair Maiden."

"You're very welcome handsome stranger," Mary teased. Garret said his goodbyes and left the bar.

He stood still a moment, looking for Renesmee's scent. It was hard to track since it was so old, but it was there. He followed it as best he could, staying slow when he passed any humans, but once outside the town limits, Garret began to run and follow the smell until he reached a pig farm outside of town. He smelled a number of things, least of all Renesmee. The land reeked of pigs, apples, and something like a faded smell of wet dog. There was a man in the house which he assumed to be Peter. Then he realized there were a few people in the house, one of whom was clearly a soldier. Garret kept quiet as he searched the property for any clues as to where Renesmee was. He smelled wet dog near the fence and front door, but the smell went away when he reached a creek near the house. Whoever had taken her knew what they were doing. Any scent they had would be washed away and he wouldn't know if they went East or West. He ran around the forest trying to relocate the smell, but it never came back up. There would be no finding Renesmee and Caevia short of a tracker of Demetri's caliber and Garret wasn't holding his breath Aro would be so generous with Demetri's powers, especially given he was almost certainly still sore over the debacle 39 years ago. Nothing ruffles Aro's and Caius' feathers more than going somewhere with the intent of trying a coven for treason only to have living breathing proof that the crime in question wasn't a crime at all pop out of nowhere when Alice and Jasper decide to come back home. He'd been making his way to that barren tundra Katrina and her coven call home, but he'd have to turn around and go to Chicago. Katrina would understand once he explained.

As Jacob had promised the two, Renesmee and Caevia were given freedom to walk around the tribe whenever they wanted to. It gave Caevia the opportunity to ask questions of the women. None knew exactly how to get to Forks, but they all knew all too well about the grimy smelly man that traded beef with them for salmon. She couldn't believe that seemed to be the only pale face these people ever dealt with from that town, but that seemed to be the case. The meat monger evidently always came with a grouchy old man that, according to the older women, was a very young boy when the Quileute were forced to release their pale faced slaves. If Seth or Leah weren't able to translate for any reason, that old man was the one to translate in poor Quileute that he barely remembered anymore. She also asked about Embry. The women spoke highly of him. His father was cousin to Jacob's father and his mother was a very sweet Makka women: the man came from a happy home while it lasted. Sadly, there had been a disagreement between the Quileute and the Hou tribe that led to a huge battle in the woods. The Quileute rose victorious, but at the cost of Embry's father's life. Many children lost their fathers that day, many wives widowed. The disagreement was eventually settled through a marriage of Jacob's older sisters Rebecca and Rachael to the chief's sons, but it didn't erase sadness from the loved ones lost. Embry's mother was dead now as well. She had died two winters before. That had been a very bad winter.

"He seems to have moved on at least," Renesmee said when Caevia translated the story to her.

"I admit I envy him. I envy a lot of these people. Such loving families," Caevia said.

"Don't think about it," Renesmee said. "It makes you melancholy."

"I'll stop then," Caevia said.

"Are we still weighing our options of how to get out of here?" Renesmee asked.

"No one knows where Forks is exactly. The best answer I got was somewhere south of here. I suppose the best we can do is just go south and hope we find a town."

"When do we leave then?"

"You can leave now as far as I'm concerned," Leah said as she passed by. "Come with me and I'll even show you how to get there."

"You know how to get there?" Renesmee asked.

"Of course I know how to get there," Leah barked back.

She motioned for Renesmee and Caevia to follow her. They stood from their spots at the fire pit where they'd been seated and followed after her. Sara noticed Leah walking away with the two. She first went to the group of women they'd been sitting with and asked what was going on, but the three were speaking in English so no one knew. Sara went to look for her husband and when she found him, she asked him if Forks was south of the tribe. When William confirmed it was, Sara hurried to look for Jacob. She looked all over but couldn't find him until she looked in his tent to find him sleeping. She woke Jacob up gently and told him what Leah was doing when he was awake enough to understand him. As soon as she said it looked like Leah was taking the women to Forks, he nearly leaped from his blanket and made a mad dash to go after them. Caevia managed the lead the women halfway to Forks before Jacob intercepted them and immediately began yelling at Leah.

"_What are you doing?!"_

"_I'm showing them to town. These two are so desperate to get there that I thought I'd show them the way."_

"_How'd you know where we were going?"_Caevia interrupted.

"_Mother saw you going south and figured out where you were going. It's a good thing she did. Do you know what could've happened?!"_

"_They'd leave?"_ Leah answered flippantly.

"_The towns people know you! They'd see you leading them and they'd assume the worst!"_

"_They wouldn't be wrong,"_ Caevia said.

"_It doesn't matter!" _Jacob yelled back at Caevia before returning his attention to Leah._ "Leah, let me put this in a way even you would understand. If we bring Renesmee to Forks, that means more pale faces will come and try to change things or take more from us and if that happens, it'll be all your fault!"_

"_As I had previously mentioned, Renesmee and I won't tell the people a thing. We'll tell them we got lost in the woods and just need a cart so we can go back home. It doesn't need to get any more complicated than that."_

"_There, as she said,"_ Leah agreed.

"What are you talking about?" Renesmee demanded from Caevia.

"We're trying to get Jacob to let us proceed to town and we'll just tell the people we got lost in the woods and need a cart back. No one gets in trouble and we can go home."

"Tell him that-"

"_You,"_ Jacob suddenly interrupted, looking right at Caevia. _"Even if we took you all the way to town, I don't think you'd go."_

"_What may I ask makes you think that?"_ Caevia demanded cruelly.

"_Embry,"_ Jacob said simply. It was all he needed to say, really. But Caevia held her head high.

"_I'm not like you or your puppies. It takes more than a handsome face and a kind smile to tie me down anywhere."_

"_Embry is more than a handsome face and a kind smile. Even you can figure that out after meeting him."_

"_Who cares,"_ Leah said._ "Let them go and we can all be happy."_

"_I won't be happy and neither will Embry. We'd follow you two to the ends of the land if it's what you really needed from us. I know she's scared right now, but Renesmee needs to stay with me. She wanted a life of her own where she can be happy with a man that loves her. I'll be able to give her that and more. As far as I can tell, you're a cranky old hag that needs someone to lighten her up."_

"Caevia, what's going on?"

"He's daring us to try and go to Forks. He thinks we won't call his bluff."

"What is his bluff? Why does he think we won't go to Forks?"

"He thinks that we wouldn't be able to leave him and Embry behind." Renesmee stopped to think a moment, then looked at Caevia seriously.

"Would you?" Caevia looked at Renesmee wide eyed.

"Of course I would!"

"You have your answer," Leah persisted. _"They've agreed they would go into town and never look back. Can you argue with that, Jacob?"_ The look Jacob gave her made Leah step back, but it wasn't due to rage in his eyes. Something there was heartbreaking to see. Renesmee could see it too. He looked stern and stood tall as ever. If she were honest with herself, she'd admit he was even handsome. But his eyes betrayed a hurt she couldn't explain.

Jacob didn't say anything. He was sick of arguing, especially with Leah and Caevia. He looked at Renesmee and knew she saw something. He knew she saw hurt in him, even if he stayed cold and hard outside. So instead of yelling at Leah or telling Caevia she was wrong or anything else that popped into his head, he just walked over to Renesmee and gently pushed her back in the direction of the village. Leah began yelling and so did Caevia as they followed him, but Renesmee didn't fight him at all. Her body just wouldn't let her. Even when his hand touched her back, she made no motion to stop him or push his hand away. It was so gentle and she realized she didn't mind the touch at all. The walk back to the village took longer with Leah and Caevia yelling at him, but after a few moments of him flat out ignoring them, Caevia eventually stopped. Leah took longer to cool down. When they got back, Embry walked over to them, having heard from Sara what had happened. Now he just wanted to know the 'why' behind it.

"_Why were you showing them to Forks?"_ Embry asked Leah.

"_They asked me to,"_ she said bluntly before walking away.

"_What did you want to go to Forks for?"_ Embry asked Caevia. She found she couldn't seem to answer him.

"_That's what I thought,"_ Jacob said when Caevia went several seconds without being able to answer.

Following that day, Jacob never left the women alone, at the very least not alone with Leah. Caevia was trouble enough. He didn't need Leah making everything worse just because she was letting her disdain for pale faces color her perception of Renesmee. Jacob made sure Seth was always free to give him English lessons but also made sure Renesmee was always within his field of vision. Embry took every opportunity he could to spend time with Caevia, even if it was just offering her fish he'd caught in an attempt to impress her. Jacob noticed something that was bothering him, though. He noticed Renesmee never seemed to eat anything. Were that not strange enough, he'd only seen Caevia offer her food once and after one refusal she never offered again. When he tried offering her food, she would push it away and Caevia would tell him to leave Renesmee alone. Jacob tried getting Embry to ask Caevia what was going on, but when he asked, Caevia told him it wasn't her place to explain that to him.

"_What does that mean?"_ Jacob almost yelled when he'd come back to tell him.

"_You're guess is as good as mine. She told me it wasn't her place to tell me and that was that. She wouldn't tell me anything else. Maybe you should have Sokajili look at her. Maybe she's sick or something."_

"_Maybe. Keep Caevia busy while I take Renesmee to Sokajili."_

"_No way, Jacob. Last time I distracted her for you, she completely misunderstood it. I'm still trying to fix that."_

"_She's already forgiven you, so just take her aside somewhere and keep her busy."_

"_What do you want me to do?"_

"_Go on a walk, teach her how to fish, go cliff diving, go have sex on the beach for all I care, just keep her busy."_

"_Alright,"_ Embry said, pondering only for the briefest of moments whether or not he might be able to make the last suggestion a legitimate possibility but he pushed it to the back of his mind immediately. She might kill him if he even thought about suggesting it. Embry went to them first and kneeled down to Caevia's level as she helped Sara clean some clothes. Renesmee was also helping, but she was still trying to figure out how to do it exactly the way Sara was doing it. _"Caevia,"_ Embry said.

"_What?"_

"_I don't suppose I could take you for a walk could I?"_

"_A walk?"_ Caevia looked at him strangely, then she glanced over Embry's shoulder to see if Jacob was watching, which he was. _"Just tell me what he wants with Renesmee."_

"_You're good,"_ he said with a small laugh.

"_I have to be,"_ Caevia answered. He noticed her tone was gloomy. He wondered why.

"_Well now I have to take you for a walk so we can talk about what's bothering you all of a sudden."_

"_Nothing's bothering me. What does Jacob want with her?"_

"_Okay,"_ Embry sighed, _"Jacob's concerned that Renesmee isn't eating. It's bothering him a lot and he wants to take her to Sokajili so he can examine her and see if she's sick."_

"_She's not sick,"_ Caevia said bluntly.

"What about me?" Renesmee asked after having heard her name.

"Evidently Jacob's concerned about the fact that you're not eating and he thinks you're sick, so he wants to take you to the medicine man to find out what's wrong with you. I told him nothing's wrong."

"You didn't tell them-"

"I haven't said a word."

"Thanks," Renesmee answered and then turned her attention back to laundry.

"_As I said, she's alright. Tell Jacob his concern isn't needed and Renesmee isn't in need of a medicine man."_

"_At least let Sokajili take a quick look at her. It would make Jacob feel a lot better."_

"_I don't care what does and doesn't make Jacob feel better."_

"_Listen, Caevia,"_ Embry started with a sigh. _"When Jacob, Quil and I are wolves, we can hear each other's thoughts. We can feel what the other is feeling and know exactly what each other is thinking. So I've been dealing with Jacob's concern for a few nights now and it's leaving me and Quil on edge. If not for Jacob's peace of mind, at least let Sokajili examine Renesmee for mine."_ Embry tried giving her what he imagined were pleading eyes. Caevia stared at him for a moment and felt her resolve melt. What could this Sokajili really know? If he examined Renesmee, he wasn't likely to find anything off, so what was the harm.

"Renesmee," Caevia said, getting her attention. "Maybe you should let the medicine man examine you just so Jacob will leave you alone. It's not like he'll find anything anyway."

"That'll just worry the man more," Renesmee said. "He'll keep insisting there's a problem."

"Maybe we should tell them you're half vampire," Caevia said quietly after one quick glance around making sure neither Leah or Seth were around to hear them. "It might even make him let us go since their opinion of vampires is so low."

"They might kill us if they knew that," Renesmee said.

"They won't," Caevia said.

"How do you know that?" Renesmee asked.

"I just know," Caevia answered. Caevia returned her attention to Embry. _"She'll see the medicine man, but only if I'm there with her. Is that fair?"_

"_Fair enough,"_ Embry answered. _"I was hoping we could go for a walk though. Jacob might've been the one to put the thought in my head, but now that it's there, I'm really eager."_

"_You're certainly a persistent man,"_ Caevia smiled. "Renesmee," Caevia said and looked back at Renesmee. "Let's just get it over with. I'll be there the whole time."

"Fine, but not a word out of that man's mouth goes un-translated."

"Fine with me," Caevia said as they stood up. It wasn't exactly what Jacob was expecting, but at least Caevia had convinced Renesmee to see the medicine man. Sokajili was mixing herbs when they all stepped into his tent and Jacob voiced his concerns.

"_She's not eating you say?"_ Caevia couldn't help but notice the mildly suspicious tone to his voice. The old man motioned for Renesmee to sit on the little matt and Renesmee did so once Caevia translated for her. Sokajili started with the most basic method to diagnosis: checking her temperature. She was still much warmer than other people like himself yet she still felt the same as Jacob. _"She feels like she's running a fever yet she's showing no symptoms of ailment."_

"_So there's nothing wrong with her?"_Jacob asked a little frustrated. Caevia translated everything for Renesmee as the men spoke.

"_There's nothing wrong with her. There's something strange about her, but there's nothing wrong with her."_ Caevia suddenly stopped translating when he used the word strange.

"What's going on?"

"Hold on, I need to clarify something before I keep telling you what he said. _What do you mean there's something strange about her? What are you implying?"_ Sokajili looked at Caevia strangely. If there was a doubt in his mind that something about the girl wasn't entirely human or something just wasn't right, that was swept away by Caevia and her tone.

"_I see you already know what I'm referring to, whatever that may be."_

"_I'm not agreeing with or confirming anything. I'm asking you to tell me what has you so suspicious of her. You don't strike me as having contemptuous feelings towards her."_

"_Absolutely not,"_ Sokajili said. _"Quite the opposite in fact. I'm rather fond of the girl thus far."_

"_She's not a girl,"_ Caevia started, but she caught herself. It was bad enough she'd told these people she was immortal. She didn't need to let that slip about Renesmee too.

"_You're right of course. I mean this woman. If my nephew loves this woman, then that's good enough for me. Jacob, she is not ill, but I won't tell you there's nothing to worry about. Caevia, I can tell you know what's really going on. For Jacob's sake, I would like to ask that you be upfront with him about it."_

"_It's not up to me to be upfront with him. Renesmee has asked me to remain silent and I will."_

"Caevia, what's going on?"

"Sokajili is telling Jacob you're not sick, but we have a problem. He knows something's up with you. He seems to be going off pure instinct."

"So he knows I'm half vampire? How?"

"He doesn't know that specifically, but he knows there's something different about you. He's asking me to tell Jacob the truth and put him at ease."

"Telling him everything wouldn't put him at ease," Renesmee said. "It won't put me at ease either."

"You know my offer still stands."

"I told you Caevia, I won't drink your blood. I don't care how thirsty I get. Just tell them there's nothing wrong with me and tell them to drop it."

"Alright." Caevia looked at Sokajili, then Jacob. _"There's nothing wrong."_

"_That was an awful long conversation to have when there's nothing wrong,"_ Sokajili said.

"_There was a lot for me to translate to her. You've said yourself she isn't ill, so it's time we dropped the matter."_

"_Whatever it is that you're not telling me, I want to know it now. I can't help her if you don't tell me what's wrong," _Jacob said.

"_She doesn't need you to help her, she needs you to let her go home!"_

_"That's not it,"_ Jacob said stubbornly.

"_You can think whatever you want, then. She's just fine."_ Caevia looked at Renesmee. "The medicine man's done. We can go back to Sara now."

"Okay," Renesmee answered and stood. "I might feel better if I had a bath. I'm filthy and I can feel it."

"I'll see what I can do." Caevia looked right at Jacob. _"She would like to get clean, so any bathing accommodations you have would be greatly appreciated."_

"_There's a creek we usually use near here,"_ Jacob said. _"I'll see if mom would mind going with you."_

"_That won't be necessary. I'll go with her,"_ Caevia said.

"_No,"_ Jacob said. _"I don't trust you."_

"_Come on, Jacob,"_ Embry said in Caevia's defense.

"_Quiet, Embry. Until you get her to calm down and stop trying to get Renesmee to leave, I don't trust her."_

"_I don't care if you don't trust me."_

"_And I don't care if you don't care!"_ Jacob snapped back at Caevia. She actually jumped back a little, not expecting the outburst. _"I'll get mom and she can show you were the creek is."_ Jacob left the tent to go get Sara and once he was gone, Renesmee looked at Caevia who was still a little shell shocked.

"What was that about? What did he say?"

"He said he'd get his mother to go with us, I said that wasn't necessary, he said he doesn't trust me, I told him I don't care, he said he doesn't care that I don't care."

"He's really losing his patience with you I take it?"

"Any patience he had to begin with," Caevia said. "The sooner I get you out of here the better." Caevia looked at Renesmee and saw the look she had on her face. She looked uncertain and she also saw a look of failure, as if she were ashamed of herself. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Renesmee admitted. "We'll never get out of here will we?"

"We'll get out of here, Renesmee. I'll make sure of it. Even if we'll just have to make a run for it, we'll get out of here. In fact," Caevia started, "we'll do that tonight. We know how to get to town now. We'll just make a run for it."

"Will you need any supplies?"

"We'll worry about that when we get to town." Jacob came back then with his mother by his side. She smiled sweetly at Renesmee and offered her hand.

"_Come with me and I'll show you where the creek is."_ Renesmee looked at Caevia.

"She said she was going to show us to the creek." When she knew what she was told, Renesmee looked at Sara again and eventually took the woman's hand.

The three women walked to the creek that was just outside the village. No one was in it at the time. Bath time was usually a group thing and done every other night before everyone went to bed. When they got to the creek, Sara stripped to nothing as if it were completely natural to do so. Then she started rubbing her arms to warm up a little. It was chilly fall weather. Sara instructed them both to do the same, but removing their clothes took much longer. After seeing the work and trouble their clothes caused, Sara insisted she retrieve them fresh leather clothes once they were clean. Caevia and Renesmee refused and insisted they could just wear their original dresses.

Chicago's weather was similar, overcast in the fall cold. By the time the Cullens had come to Chicago, the city was almost completely recovered from the Great Fire. It took years and was at great expense, but the city looked better than ever. Yet despite the beauty, despite the extravagance brought to the city by the World's Fair back in 1893, there was still a feeling of remaining terror from H. H. Holmes. Edward could remember all too well a time when Bella had gone to the World's Fair with Renesmee, Esme, Alice, and Rosalie, when they'd lived down in Champagne Illinois, before they'd moved up to the big city officially. Bella and Renesmee were waiting for their turn on the Ferris wheel when a man with a large moustache that called himself Dr. Holmes commented on Bella and Renesmee being so beautiful and complimenting how they could be sisters. When they'd all returned from the world fair a week later and Edward heard the memory in Renesmee's mind, he thought nothing of it. But when the newspapers came out with the story of the evil Dr. H. H. Holmes and his house of torture and horrors and the picture in the paper was the very man Renesmee remembered, he went rigid. It was far from Edward's choice to go to Chicago, but Carlisle insisted on moving there since the city was in desperate need of a good doctor.

Edward was alone at the house with Bella and Rosalie. Jasper and Emmett had gone to Boston with Esme and Alice to look at homes in the Hamptons. They'd lived in New York City, but never the Hamptons, so it would be a nice change of pace. The move wouldn't be official until they visited Renesmee and let her know they were moving and where to. Rosalie and Bella were sitting on the couch in the drawing room with Edward while he played the piano. Rosalie and Bella's relationship, while still not perfect, had improved substantially since Bella was changed following Renesmee's birth. At the moment, they were quilting a blanket together that they would bring to Renesmee when they visited her in Washington as a wedding gift. All they'd heard of the new state so far is that it was a miracle the inhabitants haven't drowned in the rain. They were all still extremely upset that Renesmee had 1) insisted on leaving, 2) had insisted on going somewhere so far away and 3) had married a complete stranger and made it impossible for them to come to the wedding. However, Bella didn't want to be upset with Renesmee anymore and instead focused her attention on wedding gifts. Rosalie and Bella had started this quilt this morning and were nearly done with it, but they stopped when the piano music suddenly stopped and Edward went right to the front door of the home.

"Get in here now!" Edward yelled as he opened the front door. Garret ran in shortly thereafter as Bella and Rosalie came into the entrance hall.

"Edward, what's the matter?"

"Bella," Garret came to her and was briefly welcomed with a kiss on the check. "Obviously Edward knows already, so I'll just speak with you. I passed through Olympia on my way to Katrina's home and overheard that Renesmee and Caevia were taken by Indians."

"What?!" Bella and Rosalie both screamed suddenly.

"Garret tried to find them, but he couldn't," Edward said.

"And where is that husband of hers?" Rosalie yelled. "What is he doing about this?"

"A soldier named Sergeant Lovejoy has been called to Olympia to help look for her. When I looked around the house, Lovejoy had a dog at the house so it could track Renesmee's and Caevia's scents."

"Do they know what tribe took here?" Bella asked.

"No, they don't know. All I can tell for sure is whatever tribe took her, they reek of wet dog."

"They could all smell like wet dog for all we know," Rosalie whined.

"Rosalie, you stay here and wait for everyone to come back home. Bella and I will leave for Washington now."

"I'll try calling the hotel Esme and the others are staying at. I know they have a phone, so once I get a hold of them, I'll tell them to come home immediately."

"You do that," Edward instructed. "As soon as everyone's back home join us in Washington. Bella, pack a few things and we'll leave immediately."

Bella ran upstairs to hers and Edward's bedroom and packed a few clothes for them to wear and came back downstairs with those things in a matter of seconds. Edward and Bella didn't bother with the train station. They could worry about arriving in a normal fashion once they were actually in Washington. Whatever means of transportation there was to get to Olympia from Seattle, they could use it once they arrived. Just running, they arrived in Washington within a matter of 23 hours. They arrived first in Spokane, where Edward heard thoughts of Soldiers that had received a telegram from Seattle informing them to look for Renesmee on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Edward and Bella decided to look for themselves and left the instant Edward read all their minds and knew none of them had an idea who Renesmee is. When they got back to Spokane, they found a service that traveled to Olympia, but it wasn't scheduled to leave for another two weeks. So Edward bought a cart and two horses that he and Bella could use to arrive in town discreetly and immediately left for Olympia.

By the time they arrived, there was talk of Sgt. Lovejoy's return from the Indian reservation south and how, as Sheriff Todd had said before, they knew nothing of Renesmee and knew nothing of who might've taken her. From reading the minds of the townspeople, Edward already knew exactly where Peter Wallis lived and he and Bella went straight there. When they arrived at the house, Edward was far from impressed. A house on a hill surrounded by apple trees and more pigs than even Edward could count. No one was home when they arrived, so they let themselves in and waited for Peter to come home. There were several jars of apple butter and apple pie jam on the counter near the stove stacked on top of each other. Renesmee almost certainly made those. Edward and Bella could both smell the overwhelming smell of wet dog that still remained even after such a long time. It was nightfall before they finally heard a horse coming towards the house. When the man walked in, (Edward assumed it was Peter) he looked horrified and fell over.

"Who the hell are you!" the man screamed.

"I'm your father-in-law!" Edward yelled right back. "You are Peter Wallis, correct? You married my daughter Renesmee?"

"When did you get into town? Renesmee never said you were coming," the man answered as he hurried to stand back up and correct himself. Edward had a quick look over the man and was exceedingly unimpressed. He was a mousy timid man and struck Edward as a complete simpleton unworthy of his little girl. The man's frazzled thoughts did little to change Edward's opinion for the positive.

"What's important is where my daughter is. What's this I'm hearing around town that she was taken by Indians? For your sake, there had better be a different Renesmee Wallis with a servant Caevia in this backwater town."

"Edward," Bella said sternly. "You're not helping anything. Please, Peter, forgive him. He's very concerned as we all are."

"Yes, I understand," Peter managed to say in a trembling voice. He was still recovering from seeing these people unexpectedly in his house. "I just got back not long ago with Sgt. Lovejoy from the tribe south of us. They don't know anything."

"We heard the Spokane don't know anything either," Edward said.

"How would you know that?" Peter asked.

"We passed through Spokane on our way here and a soldier told us about the matter," Edward lied. "I thought nothing of it when the soldier told me he and his men had just returned from the Spokane Reservation looking for a young woman until he told me the young woman's name is Renesmee Wallis."

"I deeply apologize for this," Peter said suddenly. "I never meant for this to happen. I should've brought her with me into town that day. I promise I'll find her and get her back."

"For your sake," Edward threatened, "you had better."

"Edward, please," Bella said.

"We'll be staying here with you until further notice."

"You're welcome to the guest bedroom upstairs," Peter hurried. "I'll be leaving with Lovejoy tomorrow to look for her at a Reservation an hour's horse ride away from us. He's told me we'll be stopping in towns near those reservations from there."

"I don't care how you do it. I just expect you to find her." Edward looked at Bella. "We'll go upstairs and let him get ready for tomorrow."

"Mr. Cullen," Peter called. "I do wish it were under different circumstances, but it is a pleasure to meet you and your wife. When Renesmee is home again, we'll have a big dinner and get acquainted properly." Edward said nothing and still looked at Peter with little more than contempt. He took a hold of Bella's hand and took her with him upstairs so they could speak alone.

"Edward," Bella said when the door was closed and they were alone. "We should look for her ourselves."

"You heard what Garret said," Edward said solemnly. "There's no smell for us to follow. She could be anywhere by now. And if we go looking for her, she'll insist on coming back here." Edward groaned. "We never should've let her go. We should've bought her an apartment in the city so she was close or something. Anything but let her come here."

"Edward, she insisted. There was no changing her mind on the matter. We can't keep her in a little bubble for forty years and not expect her to want to get out of it. What's done is done. All we can do now is hope for the best and wait for the others to get here. We should tell him the others are coming."

"We don't need to tell that pig farmer anything. As far as I'm concerned, when Renesmee gets back, we're taking her with us. I'll rip that damned marriage license in half myself and obtain a divorce for Renesmee. He's not laid a hard on her, so a divorce won't be difficult."

"Edward!" Bella said. "You're being unfair to the man. We can't make these decisions for her anymore. She's a grown women and she needs to make her own decisions. What we need to focus on first and foremost is getting her back." Edward inhaled a deep breath to help him relax.

"You're right," Edward finally said. "We'll worry about getting her back first."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The smell of fall was pungent in the air. Falling leaves damp from the rain, burning wood in the distance coming from Forks, and the smell of ripe apples everywhere. The dampness of the leaves allowed Renesmee and Caevia to travel with stealth through the woods and under the cover of the trees with only the moon peeking through. Renesmee and Caevia had gone to Jacob's tent for the night, as had become their habit, and waited until the moon was high in the sky when everyone was surely asleep. Once they were in the woods, they started walking faster, but made sure that they remained as silent as possible.

"Will they believe us if we tell them we just got lost?" Renesmee asked when they were far enough away.

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see. You'll have to do the talking, though. If I try telling them anything, they'll immediately discredit me."

"I know," Renesmee said. "I should be more upset about this whole thing, but I can't bring myself to want them in trouble."

"Me either," Caevia said with a heavy sigh. She began walking much slower and Renesmee kept pace. "Jacob said to me that if we left, he and Embry would follow us to the ends of the earth. Do you think they will?"

"Caevia, if you want to stay-"

"No," Caevia said but then she stopped suddenly. "I don't know."

"Caevia, I understand." The two shared a knowing glance until Caevia held her head down.

"No, we'll keep going. If they are going to follow us, then we'll deal with it. For now, let's focus on getting back home. Maybe we can get back before anyone tells the Cullens about this."

"Oh God," Renesmee whimpered. "I don't even want to think about how daddy will react when he finds out about this."

"No kidding. Remember how he reacted when he found out the guy that said hello to you and your mom was a serial killer?"

"Oh for the love of God, that was eight years ago!" Renesmee realized too late she was yelling and put her hands over her mouth in surprise.

"A little louder, Renesmee. I don't think the Denalis heard you," Caevia joked.

"Shut up," Renesmee mumbled and then she went to her knees and tried her best not to cry. "What if daddy confronts Jacob about this?"

"You'll just have to reason with him."

"How can I even begin to? Daddy was already really upset with me when we left. When he finds out about this, he'll be too angry to even say, 'I told you so.'" Renesmee sighed heavily. The more she was thinking about it, the more she wanted to turn around and just deal with the hand she'd been dealt. "I want to hunt before we get into town."

"I was going to tell you to anyway. Is there a deer nearby or something?" Renesmee closed her eyes and listened for anything that was near. She heard footsteps that sounded like they were from an animal, but it wasn't a deer.

"Stay here. I'll look for one and come back once I'm done."

With that, Renesmee wandered off in another direction in hopes of finding some kind of faun to hunt. As she moved along, she heard the little noises of a faun but then heard a growl that ran after the faun once it ran away. Renesmee followed that sound. Deer was always decent enough, but the blood of a predator was much better. It sounded like a wolf from what she heard, but a wolf was better than nothing. She heard the beast take the faun down, so Renesmee slowed a little so she could sneak up on the beast while it was distracted by food. She heard the bones crunching from the attack and she continued to sneak closer and closer with the smell of blood luring her forward. She was a mere fifteen feet away when she saw the beast that had taken the faun down. She realized it wasn't just any wolf; it was Jacob. She would remember that coat for as long as she lived. She began to back away slowly, but stood completely still when Jacob suddenly lifted his head from his kill. She saw the look of concentration that showed in his eyes before he lifted his head higher to smell the air. Renesmee continued to back away until she bumped into a hard surface. She'd realized the overly sweet smell was there not even a second before she bumped into the cold frame. She turned around and saw a man with eyes fading to black. She didn't know him. His hair was a dark brown but his skin was such a pale shade, even Carlisle was tanner than this man.

"Well, holy shit," the man laughed when he saw Renesmee's face. Renesmee realized this man had about the thickest Boston accent she ever heard. "You're the Cullen girl the Volturi got into a huge stink over."

"How do you-"

"I was on their end of the whole thing. You've grown up since then." Just as the man started out pleasant, he instantly lost his smile and turned to run in the other direction. But just as he turned, two more wolves popped out of the shadows as Jacob ran up to him from behind. She heard breaking that sounded like a stone being smashed into pieces and it made Renesmee scream and fall backwards. Jacob turned to look at her, scared another might have come up behind her. He was relieved when he saw that she was alright. The creature was dead in minutes and one of the wolves, Renesmee realized it was Quil, changed into his human form and started a fire. Jacob did the same and he was kneeling down and grabbed her by the shoulders, breaking her from her trance.

"_What are you doing out here at this hour?"_Jacob yelled at her. She just stared at him only able to assume he was upset that she was in the woods and running away. Jacob realized she didn't understand him and raked his brain for something correct to say. "You," Jacob pointed at her, "out here. Why?"

"I…" Rensemee began, but she couldn't continue. Caevia came running, having heard Renesmee scream, and nearly screamed herself when she saw a man in shambles set ablaze in purple fire. She smelled the overwhelming, clawing sweet smell and realized it was a vampire. She ran to Renesmee and fell to her knees when she reached her.

"Renesmee, are you alright? I heard you screaming!"

"I'm alright," Renesmee finally managed.

"_What are you two doing out here? You could've gotten her killed!"_ Jacob yelled at Caevia.

"_Me?! She ran off to-"_ Caevia stopped suddenly.

"_Ran off to what?!"_

"_Nothing,"_Caevia said, unable to think of a reasonable excuse. _"She thought she heard something."_

"_It's bad enough to go running into the woods when it's light out, but to go into the woods at night when Cold Ones are active?"_

"_Jacob, relax. They probably never even heard of Cold Ones."_

"_Yes they have,"_ Jacob said in a frustrated groan. _"I know I've told this one."_ Jacob pointed at Caevia.

"_We would've been alright!"_

"_Not by the looks of it!" _Jacob returned his attention to Renesmee. His hands still on her shoulders, he helped her get back to her feet and kept his hold on her so that she wouldn't lose her balance again. In truth, Renesmee didn't need it, but she was finding his touch rather comforting. That vampire might've known her from a distance but that didn't mean she was safe with him. Renesmee was stronger than most, but she knew damn well that if she got into a fight with a vampire, she would lose. "Renesmee," Jacob said suddenly. "Are you alright?" Renesmee looked at Jacob, impressed that he'd said that so well. His accent was still there, but with the sentence lacking any ns or ms, it was easier for him to pronounce everything properly.

"Yes," Renesmee finally answered.

"Good," Jacob said with a smile. Then he looked at Caevia. _"Don't ever take her out at night again."_

"_Jacob,"_ Embry spoke harshly, having changed back from being a wolf. _"You can't act like this was all Caevia's fault."_

"_You don't need to defend me,"_ Caevia said to Embry. While they were all talking, Renesmee was desperately averting her eyes from any of them, all too aware that they were naked. She was shocked Caevia didn't seem to care at all.

"_I do,"_Embry said back. _"Jacob, I'll take Caevia back to the village alone. I want to talk to her."_

"_I'm not leaving Renesmee alone with him."_

"_You know perfectly well he won't do anything to her, Caevia. Please"_ Embry said. Jacob had already agreed and began leading Renesmee back to the village, telling Quil to return to patrol and wait for him and Embry to return. Caevia took a deep breath and finally nodded her head in agreement. Embry walked over to her and, to Caevia's surprise, took a gentle hold of her hand and led her back to the village. She realized he was going an odd direction, no doubt to lengthen their time alone.

"_What do you want to talk about?"_

"_Listen, Caevia,"_ Embry said. _"Jacob and I both know why you two were out here."_

"_I would hope so. We've been planning this long enough."_

"_Yeah, Seth mentioned that before we talked at the wedding."_

"_I'm sure."_

"_Caevia,"_ Embry said as he stopped, making her look at him while he continued to hold her hand. _"I understand Renesmee wanting to run. Our world is probably strange to her, but you? You I don't understand. We've welcomed you openly, embraced you into the tribe as if you'd always been one of us. You can't be happy out there with pale faces if the way we've been treated is any indication for your treatment. Why are you so desperate to run?"_

"_The Cullens have been like family to me,"_ Caevia said.

"_Who are the Cullens?"_

"_Renesmee's family. Out of all the pale faces that've ever had me in their house, they've treated me the best."_

"_Don't you miss being with your own kind, though?"_

"_No,"_ Caevia said frankly.

"_Why?"_ Embry asked, shocked that she would speak so negatively.

"_I don't want to talk about it. I was sold to pale faces by my own people and even in the face of beatings, brandings and unpaid servitude, I still never looked back. I would like to keep it that way."_

"_You were sold by your own people?"_ Again, Embry was at a loss.

"_I was nothing to them, just like the others considered lesser than the Thunderbirds. I knew my father only by my mother's words. Some of the only words her and I were ever allowed to share."_ Caevia did her best not to choke up. She was sick of losing tears over her mother, over any of her people. She'd managed to put them all out of her mind for years. Renesmee always told her not to think about it because she knew it made Caevia upset, so Caevia continued to never think about it. She preferred it that way.

"_Did he not know you're his daughter? You should've said something. He would've saved you."_

"_Saying something would've meant my death. Please stop asking me questions. I don't want to talk about this anymore."_

"_What do you mean it would've meant your death?"_

"_I said I don't want to talk about it anymore!"_ Caevia screamed as she forced her hand away from Embry. _"How would you feel if I made you talk about your mother and father? Huh?"_

"_I see you've asked about my parents,"_ Embry said while scratching his head. He didn't seem mad at all. Caevia found that infuriating. _"I would be sad, but only that I'd lost them too soon. I have no reason to look back on their memory poorly."_

"_Well, you didn't go through what I did,"_ Caevia bit back.

"_That doesn't mean I wouldn't understand."_

"_That doesn't mean I should have to tell you about it either."_ Caevia faced away from him, going in the direction she assumed the village was in. Embry looked at his feet a moment before looking up at her again. She might not want to talk about any of this, but she needed to. Embry knew it. She needed someone to listen to her vent about whatever had happened and tell her to forget about it.

"_Perhaps Renesmee was wrong to tell you not to think about any of it. Does she even know what troubles you?"_

"_She knows enough to know it's a painful topic that shouldn't be discussed."_

_"Shouldn't be discussed or she didn't want to discuss it?"_

"_She would sit with me and talk about it if I asked her to. But she knows I want no more mention of that time in my life. She understands how much it upsets me, unlike you evidently."_

"_Caevia,"_ Embry said a little louder, hoping to get her attention and force her to look at him. When that didn't work, he closed the distance between them and took a hold of her shoulder, turned her around and made her look at him. _"Don't do this anymore. When we first met, you were smiling and happy to dance with me. Since then you've only drifted further and further away from me. Whatever I did to upset you, tell me and I'll apologize as many times as you want."_

"_You didn't do anything,"_Caevia said.

"_Then why do you treat me like I have?"_

"_I'm not trying to treat you like anything."_ With that said, Embry let go of her shoulder and took a step back. Whether she'd meant it the way she said it, Embry wasn't sure. But the way she'd said it made him feel inconsequential and unimportant.

"_Harsh words,"_ Embry finally said after a long silence between the two.

"_Were they?"_

"_I'd rather you were treating me badly than treating me like nothing."_

"_You're twisting my words,"_ Caevia said. _"I'm trying to say I never meant you any offense. Not you at any rate."_

"_Then don't speak to me in the manner you have been. Talk to me the way you did when we were dancing before. Speak to me like you trust me again."_

"_I never trusted you to begin with," _Caevia answered. _"I have no grounds on which to trust you."_

"_Have I given you grounds not to? And don't bring up anything Jacob did, I'm talking about me and what I've done. Have I personally done anything to give you reason not to trust me?"_

"_I don't trust new people purely by nature. It was nothing you did or said. I just don't trust you."_

"_And why is that?"_

"_It's nothing worth talking about. Just get me back to the village, Renesmee and I will go to bed like good girls, and everyone can be happy."_

"_You know what, Caevia?"_

"_What?"_ Caevia asked, bracing herself for the worst based purely on Embry's exacerbated tone.

Embry almost spoke, but something stopped him. He was so frustrated with her and wanted to tell her so, but he couldn't yell at her for it. He didn't know what was wrong and she refused to tell him. Then Embry had an idea. She wasn't willing to talk out here in the open where Quil could certainly overhear them were he close enough or simply outside. Maybe she just needed a closed space, somewhere where it really was just the two of them.

"_Follow me,"_ Embry instructed before bringing his hand to her back again and leading her forward. He ceased with the roundabout method of getting back to the village and went directly back. His tent was furthest from the forest, very close to the beach. Caevia noticed they passed Jacob's tent, which she noticed had a fire lit inside. Caevia attempted to turn around and go straight to Jacob's tent, but Embry took a hold of her arm and pulled her with him.

"_What are you doing? Jacob's tent is over there."_

"_We're not going to Jacob's tent, we're going to mine."_

"_For what?"_

"_Quiet,"_ Embry whispered back after Caevia raised her voice too loud. _"Everyone else is trying to sleep."_

"_Embry, let go of me,"_ Caevia ordered. When he didn't let go of her, she continued to pull and tug, trying to get out of his grip, but it was no use. He was too strong for her.

The more she fought, the more she began to lose all sense of control. It started with pulling, then she started hitting him. When that didn't work, she tried digging her feet into the ground, but the rocks were painful compared to the dry desert sand she'd been familiar with years before. She felt a rock cut her foot, but she didn't concern herself with that. Screaming never did her any good in the past, so she didn't scream now. Instead, she attempted to dig her nails into his skin and managed to draw a little blood, but it seemed to instantly heal. He didn't even seem to notice the injury at all. Her heart was pounding furiously and memories flashed through her head: terrible memories. Memories that went as far back as she could remember. She was getting panicky and desperate. Her first instinct was to look for a knife he had, but he was naked and unarmed. She looked around for something else to use but all the rocks she saw were too small to do any amount of real damage. Eventually realizing Caevia's erratic movements, he looked back at her and finally saw that look of panic. Pure, unadulterated panic. He stopped and turned to face her. He let go of her hand and quickly took a hold of her shoulders. The touch was meant to be gentle, but he moved quicker than intended when she attempted to run away from him.

"_Caevia, calm down. Tell me what's wrong,"_ Embry begged quietly after he brought his face closer to hers, bending his back so they were at nearly the same level. She only shook her head and it was then that she finally started crying. Without a word, Embry lifted her into his arms and practically ran back to his own tent and tied the door once they were inside. He didn't bother with a fire. He could see her just fine in the dark. _"Caevia, please. I can't make it better if you don't tell me what's wrong."_

"_What could you possibly do to make it better?"_ Caevia managed through her tears.

"_I won't know until you tell me. Caevia,"_Embry continued to plea with her. She didn't answer him after that last plea, so Embry scooted closer to her and took her in his arms in a gentle hug. She fought him, hit him, tried to get out of the embrace, but Embry wouldn't let her go. He could feel that, deep down, she really didn't want him to let go, needed him to hold onto her. So that's what he did: he held onto her.

Eventually, Caevia stopped hitting Embry and stopped trying to get out of his hold. The gentleness, despite being so firm, made her feel truly safe. She couldn't think of a time when she'd ever felt this way. Even with the Cullens, she didn't feel this cherished and protected. That was all she needed to finally let herself really cry. She hadn't cried over all this since she was a small girl. She'd eventually realized it never helped her or did anything to stop what happened, so she'd stopped crying all together. To her surprise, it helped. She was beginning to feel better, like she was finally letting go of something that did nothing but weigh her down like led. For better comfort, Embry sat down, crossed his ankles, and lifted Caevia into his lap so he could hold her closer. She barely noticed the shift in positions. She was far too occupied with her tears. Neither of them knew how long Caevia had cried for. It didn't really matter. She'd gone to sleep after a time. It was the most serene he'd ever seen her look. Embry gently placed her down on the small blanket he had tucked into the small recession in the ground and let her sleep. They could talk in the morning. He would make sure to get back from patrol right before sunrise.

Jacob, on the other hand, had wasted no time getting Renesmee back to his tent. She still seemed somewhat frazzled and he wanted to get her home. She stayed quiet the whole walk back and remained quiet even after they got back in his tent. When they returned, she went right to the small blanketed spot that she and Caevia had been sharing. Jacob worked to light a small fire and when it was lit, he went to her and began to look her over ensuring that she wasn't injured. He started by taking her chin and moving her head so he could really look at her. Then he began to press all over her body looking for any spot that might hurt. He did it quickly. It wasn't as fast as Carlisle would've done it, but it was still faster than Sokajili. When Jacob could find nothing, he looked at Renesmee to ask her directly.

"Hurt?" Jacob asked.

"No," Renesmee answered. "I'm not hurt."

"Good," Jacob smiled. "No go out at night," Jacob said.

"You mean 'don't go out at night'," Renesmee corrected.

"You mean don't go out at night," Jacob repeated, but Renesmee shook her head.

"No. 'Don't go out at night'," she repeated.

"Don't go out at night," Jacob repeated again. When Renesmee smiled just the smallest bit, he smiled right back.

"Good," Renesmee said. "Is Seth teaching you English?"

"Seth teach English," Jacob said with a nod.

"Seth is teaching me English," Renesmee said.

"You?" Jacob asked, confused. Renesmee shook her head. She even managed the slightest bit of a laugh.

"No. Seth is teaching you English, so you say, 'Seth is teaching me English'."

"Seth is teaching me English," Jacob repeated, earning another smile.

"Very good," Renesmee said. "I'm surprised you've already learned so much." Jacob only understood bits and pieces of what she'd said but he did understand her praise.

"I try," Jacob mumbled. "Seth say practice," Jacob said.

"Practice makes perfect as the saying goes. And you mean, 'Seth tells me I need to practice." Jacob stared at her, knowing she wanted him to repeat after her but not sure which part of the sentence she wanted him to repeat. "You say, 'Seth tells me I need to practice.'"

"Seth tells me I need to practice," Jacob repeated.

"Good," Renesmee said. She seemed to be relaxing and that made Jacob really pleased. He knew, though, that one of the things that really put her on edge and made her uncomfortable was being left out of the conversation when everyone was speaking Quileute. Caevia didn't appear to be teaching her, so Jacob decided to take matters into his own hands or at least get her started.

"That fire," Jacob said to Renesmee, pointing to the fire. Renesmee nodded, assuming he was asking her to confirm.

"Yes, that's a fire." But Jacob shook his head.

"Fire," Jacob said, first in English, then repeated, _"Fire,"_ in Quileute. She realized then what he was trying to do. Caevia had not bothered to and Renesmee had no intention of staying long enough to need it. Yet it had nearly been a month already since she and Caevia had come here and she knew little more Quileute then what she'd figured out herself and even that she couldn't be sure of. She decided, after careful consideration, that she'd be much better off if she just learned the language so her stay here would be that much easier, however long that stay might be. _"Fire,"_ Jacob repeated when Renesmee didn't speak immediately.

"_Fire,"_ Renesmee repeated and Jacob smiled.

"Good," Jacob said in English first, then said, _"Good,"_ so she would know the word.

"_Good,"_ Renesmee repeated.

"_You have a good accent,"_ Jacob began without thinking. _"You're already sounding like you've spoken Quileute all your life."_ Renesmee just stared at him, so Jacob smiled and scratched his head, only then realizing his error. "Sorry," Jacob said. "I forget you no speak."

"'I forgot that you don't speak Quileute'," Renesmee corrected.

"I forgot that you don't speak Quileute," Jacob repeated.

"Good," Renesmee smiled again. Just listening to Jacob speak in his native tongue, she realized the language was very pretty. It reminded her a little of French just with a lot less nasal and no ms or ns to speak of. She heard a lot more Es and Is in the language. There were also harsher inflections than what was in French with a great deal of emphasis on the Is. Wanting to continue their impromptu language lesson, Jacob began by pointing at himself.

"Man," he said in English and then, _"Man."_

"_Man,"_ Renesmee repeated and Jacob nodded in confirmation then pointed at her.

"Woman," he started. _"Woman."_

"_Woman,"_ Renesmee repeated. Jacob tried to think of another word that would be relevant to teach her before decided he should tell her what most have been calling her. Jacob pointed at himself firstly.

"Quileute," Jacob said.

"Quileute," Renesmee repeated. That part she'd already been told and she wasn't sure where he was going with this. Then he gestured towards her.

"White or pale face," Jacob started. _"Pale face,"_ he then said.

"_Pale face,"_ Renesmee repeated.

Not wanting to go back on patrol, Jacob continued to teach Renesmee random words while she taught him full sentences from words he already knew. Renesmee tired quickly though, already having had a rough night. So Jacob let Renesmee go to sleep and he stayed there with her for the remainder of the night and morning.

Caevia didn't wake up until it was late in the morning and she woke up to an empty tent. She looked around, not recognizing where she was, then remembered what happened the night before. She remembered Embry trying to make her talk, she remembered him dragging her to his tent, she remembered fighting violently, and she remembered being put in the tent and eventually crying on his shoulder. That was all she remembered. She could see through the small cracks between the teepee's leather and the ground that it was daytime. Or as much daytime as the permanent cloud of overcast weather had ever allowed since they'd arrived here. Yet just as Caevia was coming to her senses and was ready to try and go back to Jacob's tent where Renesmee was, Embry came back into his tent with a small basket filled with salmon jerky and a potato that had been mashed up and cooked over the fire until the outsides were browned.

"_Good morning,"_ Embry asked.

"_Good morning,"_ Caevia replied.

"_How'd you sleep?"_

"_Fine,"_ Caevia answered.

"_Good,"_ Embry smiled. _"You needed a good night's sleep."_

"_Yeah,"_ Caevia mumbled back. Embry sat down in front of her, now clothed in tan leather pants, and held the basket in front of her.

"_Try the potato cake. It's a bit of a delicacy for us."_

"_Potato?"_Caevia asked. Embry pointed at the little cake, Caevia smelled it, and then she realized what the word meant. _"Oh," _she said. _"You mean_potato."

"_Is that how you say it in_English_?"_

"_Yes,"_Caevia nodded. _"You said it was potato?"_ Embry nodded. _"I'm sorry. We never had potatoes in the desert, so it's not a word I'm familiar with."_

"_What is a desert?"_ Embry asked. Caevia almost smiled. When she thought about it, it made sense to her they wouldn't technically have a word for desert in their language.

"_It's a very hot place with little or no water and poisonous creatures. Our lands were infested with poisonous bugs and snakes like scorpions and rattle snakes."_

"_What are scorpions and rattle snakes?"_ Embry asked, seeming to be very interested. Indeed he was very interested. He wanted to learn all he could about her, especially since she came from such an exotic land compared to him and she'd been all over the country. What wasn't there to be fascinated by?

"_Scorpions are bugs with six legs and a long tail with a needle at the end and large claws near their faces. They're big and black and if you're close enough to them, you can hear them hiss right before they sting you."_

"_What about rattle snakes?"_

"_Rattle snakes are long brown snacks that warn you when you're too close by shaking their tail to make the sound of a shaking drum. My people eat both scorpions and rattle snakes."_

"_Do they taste good?"_

"_If you know how to cook them, yes,"_Caevia nodded. _"First and foremost for the scorpions, you had to cut off the tips of their tails so they can't sting you. Then you have to take a hammer and just barely smash the outer shell of the bug and immediately throw it in a hot pan and cook it quickly so it'll still be crunchy and soft on the inside."_

"_Wow,"_ Embry said. _"It makes our potato cake sound so much less exciting."_

"_It's less poisonous,"_ Caevia joked. _"The rattle snake you have to cut off its head so you can catch it. Our hunters had special wide bladed arrows specially made to decapitate a snake in one hit and kill it instantly while also removing the poisonous sacks in its head. The snake we would just boil in water until it was cooked all the way through and the water took on a brownish color."_

"_Where did you get water?"_

"_Cacti usually has water you can extract."_

"_Cacti?"_

"_It's a giant plant that can reach up to be taller than a man and it's covered in thorns. We also had a large lake right next to our village with a cactus on a tiny hill of land right in the middle of it. We used that lake for everything. We could also cut up the cactus and boil it so we could eat it. Cactus, when it's cut, produces a really thick sticky ooze that you have to boil off before you can eat it. But once that ooze is gone, the cactus is very tasty. It has a nectar that you can drink too that's very sweet. Only the Thunderbirds were allowed to drink that, though."_

"_I have a question."_

_"What's that?"_

"_You keep saying 'my people' and yet sometimes you'll refer to them as a separate group. Why do you keep doing that?"_

"_I'm only half Thunderbird. My mother was a member of the slave class of people. When the Thunderbirds were traveling south from their original northern home, they enslaved many people on their way."_

"_If I asked you more questions, would you be willing to talk about it? I meant what I'd told you. I might not be able to make any of it go away and I know I can't undo the past. But I can at least listen to you and tell you that no matter what happened to you, I'm here to make the future brighter."_ To Embry's surprise, Caevia started laughing a little. He wasn't entirely sure if she was genuinely amused by what he said or she was trying to make fun of him.

"Well that was awfully poetic," Caevia mumbled to herself.

"_What?"_ Embry asked her to repeat in Quileute, but she shook her head.

"_Nothing, it's not important. What you said was just very…"_Caevia trailed off, unsure of what word to use. Any English word she thought of had no Quileute equivalent. _"I can't think of a word for it."_

"_Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"_

"_It's probably a good thing."_

"_I'll take it,"_ Embry said. He moved just a little bit closer and handed her one of the potato cakes. _"Have one. We had to decapitate it,"_ Embry attempted to joke and Caevia smiled, accepting the potato cake.

"_It smells really good."_

"_So tell me,"_ Embry began, _"Would you be alright with me asking you more questions? I did grab you a potato cake after all."_ Caevia laughed.

"_Are Jacob and his family usually the only ones allowed to eat these?"_

"_No,"_ Embry shook his head. _"It's just we have to forage for potatoes for hours to find enough to feed the village. Usually we only have these when there's a wedding. That's why there were so many baskets of potatoes at the wedding: it's considered a commodity. We have an easier time finding geoduck."_

"_What is geoduck?"_ When Caevia asked, Embry couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. In truth, as delicious as the clam was to eat, there was one thing about it that never ceased to have even the eldest among them chuckling like a child. _"What's so funny?"_ Embry was about to tell her, but he decided it was really best to just show her.

"_Come with me to the beach and we'll look for one. If we find one, I'll show you what it looks like and you'll know exactly what's funny."_

"_After we eat our potato cakes,"_ Caevia said.

Embry finished his cake in no time, but he waited patiently for Caevia to eat her potato cake and a piece of salmon jerky before they left his tent and started to walk along the beach. Caevia had no idea what they were looking for so she let Embry worry about looking around. When they got to a certain spot, Embry pulled Caevia with him towards the water's edge where the tides were strong. He stood there with her waiting for the wave to go down and when Embry found a small indentation in the sand, he smiled and pointed at it.

"_There,"_ he said before going to the spot and began to dig. Caevia came closer and looked over his shoulder as he continued to dig. Initially, she saw what looked like a long, brownish tube, but eventually, Embry seemed to find what he was looking for and he pulled out a long shelled creature with a mostly white body with the exception of a brownish tip. He kept pressure on the shell of the creature and he presented it to her. _"This is a geoduck."_

When she saw it, she realized exactly what they all found so funny. It was without a doubt the most phallic looking thing she'd ever laid eyes on. And just like that, she started laughing, tears nearly coming to her eyes, and Embry laughed with her.

"Oh my God," Caevia said through her thick laughter. She almost fell over.

"_You see what I mean?"_

"_Yes,"_ she said, continuing to laugh.

"_Once you take the shell off, you can see it's stomach."_ Caevia began to laugh harder. As if it wasn't phallic enough with its shell. She wanted to tell Embry the shell looked a little like a codpiece, but he wouldn't know what that is and she kept it to herself.

"_How do you even eat that thing?"_

"_Let's look for one more and then I'll show you. Here,"_Embry kept his fingers firm on the shell and held it out to Caevia. _"Hold this and keep a firm pressure on the shell. They're so used to the pressure of the sand around their shell that if they don't have it, they might die."_

"_Don't we need them that way?"_

"_Not these guys. We don't kill them until we put them in the pot."_

Caevia took the creature from Embry's fingers and kept a firm grip on the shell just as Embry instructed. While he'd been able to use just his fingers, Caevia had to use her whole hand. Embry continued along the beach looking for another recession in the sand while Caevia followed behind, staring at the creature. It was cold and covered in sand. As she held it, the mildly erect dirty looking tube began to limp over onto her wrist. She held onto it, but the cold feel of it was making her uneasy. Eventually, Embry came across another recession in the sand and began digging until he was able to pull out another geoduck, this one being much bigger than the one she held.

"_Okay, let's get back. There should still be some water boiling."_

Embry led Caevia back to the village and as Embry predicted, there was still a pot of water over the fire from earlier when the women were boiling potatoes. One of the women saw Caevia and Embry holding geoduck and, with a bright smile on her face, she took another, larger, pot and ran to the water's edge so she could fill it up.

"_Thanks Quiyahle,"_ Embry yelled to the woman in question.

"_I hope you plan to share some of that. My generosity comes at a price."_

"_I'll let you have the belly meat of this one,"_ Embry chuckled, holding up the much bigger geoduck.

"_That'll be acceptable," _Quiyahle teased. _"Use this pot. This one's still really hot."_

"_Thanks."_ Embry kneeled down in front of the pot and waited for Caevia to sit next to him. It was then that Caevia realized Quiyahle had taken out two rods made from rock that she was now hovering over the pot.

"_What is she doing?"_

"_I'm waiting for you the put the geoduck in the pot so I can time it."_

"_You'll see,"_ Embry said with a smile. _"Now hold yours over the pot and drop it into the water when I say."_

Caevia did as Embry instructed and held the limping creature over the pot as Embry did. When Embry said to let go, she did so and Quiyahle began tapping on the pot with the rods, making a little beat. The beat lasted about fifteen seconds and when she stopped, Embry retrieved a small basket that he dipped into the water and rushed to get the creatures out. Then he dropped both creatures into the much colder sea water.

"_That's it?"_ Caevia asked.

"_Not quite. We still need to clean it."_ Embry motioned for Caevia to come to his side near the basket of cold water and waited just a few seconds before taking the bigger geoduck of the two and began to work on it. He started at the base of the shell where there was a small tag of what looked like skin. He pulled it off completely in one swift motion, revealing a much cleaner looking geoduck. But when she saw Embry tear away the outer skin, she started laughing again. _"What's so funny?"_Embry asked. He'd thought she'd already had her laugh about the clam's phallic appearance.

"_I'm sorry. It just looks like you,"_ Caevia stopped a second. There was no way to say it in Quileute, so she decided to say it in English, then explain later. "You circumcised it."

"_What?"_ Embry asked.

"Circumcised_in_English_means that the foreskin of the penis has been removed by a doctor. It's something pale faces do."_ Embry just stared at Caevia mortified.

"_They do what?"_ Quiyahle asked, just as horrified.

"_Pale faces take off the foreskin of the penis when a baby is about eight days old. It's a very common practice now."_ Embry and Quiyahle looked at Caevia as if she were insane. She had to admit she thought the same thing when she'd first heard of the practice.

"_And we're the savages?"_ Quiyahle eventually said to herself. _"Just give me my belly meat and I'll leave you two alone."_

"_Sure,"_ Embry said after he returned his attention to the geoduck. He took out a knife and cut away the shell until it came off and revealed the belly and stomach of the clam. He removed the big ball and put it in the water before cutting away the belly section from the long tube and handing it to Quiyahle. _"Here you go."_

"_Thanks,"_ She said appreciatively. Quiyahle stood up and left, taking bites of the belly as she walked away.

"_Did I scare her away?"_ Caevia asked.

"_Don't worry about it. You got her to leave. She would've stuck around and eaten more of our geoduck if you hadn't gotten rid of her. Let's just never talk about that again."_

"_Alright, fair enough,"_ Caevia smiled.

Embry removed the shell from the other geoduck and let it fall into the cold water. After that, he pulled off the stomach of the clam and then searched for the other stomach. He cut both in half and began to clean them copiously. Once they were clean, Embry looked for another basket and placed the meat in there. Then he removed the belly meat from the other geoduck and cut that into smaller pieces and put them in the basket with the stomachs. Before continuing, Embry lifted the pot of hot water off the fire and poured out the water. Once he placed it back on the fire, he threw in the stomachs and belly meat into the pot to cook. After that, Embry turned his attention to the tubes. He firstly cut them in half and placed both of them under the water and cleaned out the black stuff. After that, he brought the other basket over and cut the halved tubes into smaller pieces that landed in the basket. Embry looked in the pot once he was done to see how the belly and stomach meat was coming along. He waited a few more seconds before he picked up the pot and tilted it over the basket, pouring out the rest of the meat. The first thing he grabbed was one of the halves of stomach and handed it to Caevia.

"_Let's start with this piece. Every part of the geoduck tastes different."_

"_Is this your favorite?"_ Caevia asked after she accepted the meat.

"_I actually really like the belly best. It's the most tender part and it has the most flavor. The stomach and the tube meat are really good too."_ Embry finished one stomach in a few bites while Caevia tasted the piece she was given. It was a very strange taste. She didn't really like it, so she handed it back to Embry. _"You didn't like it?"_

"_No. It's too strong."_

"_You might not like the belly then, but try it anyway."_ Caevia took a piece of the belly and ate it. It wasn't nearly as strong, but it certainly still had that taste. This time she shrugged.

"_I liked that better."_

"_Looks like you're a tube girl,"_ Embry joked, handing her a piece of that meat. This was the meat that was almost completely raw, so she was a little apprehensive. _"What's wrong?"_

"_I've never eaten raw meat before."_

"_Really? That's when fish is it's best sometimes. We clean the salmon really well and we'll eat them raw while we make the jerky."_

"_Would you ever eat raw deer or something?"_

"_No, that doesn't taste good raw. Don't turn your nose up to it just yet. Try it first,"_Embry encouraged. Caevia looked at the piece of meat again and took a deep breath. She finally put it in her mouth and started to chew. It was crunchy. Crisp might be a good word to use. It was nowhere near as strong as the stomach or the belly and it was much more appetizing to her. Having been cooked and cleaned in seawater, there was certainly no lacking of salt. Too much maybe, but other than that it was actually very good. She was surprised and Embry smiled at her triumphantly. _"I see you liked that."_

"_It was much better."_

"_I'll eat the belly and stomachs from now on then,"_ Embry smiled and it made Caevia blush a little.

About the same time, Renesmee woke up feeling strangely alone. She was so used to Caevia being there when she woke up now that her not being there was very disconcerting. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and looked around to find Jacob in the tent, still with her. He was sound asleep on the other side of the tent on the exposed ground. It made her feel really bad. The kidnapping aside, he'd never once treated her like a prisoner. Not really anyway. He'd allowed her and Caevia freedom to walk around, he helped the two of them get intergraded with the people and though Renesmee still wasn't completely accepted, Jacob always came to her defense. She might not understand what he was saying when he defended her, but she knew that's what he was doing when she saw the women around her recoil in obedience and didn't utter another word against her. At least that's what Caevia told her. Rather than wake him, Renesmee quietly let herself out of the tent, doing her best not to let much light in. Once she was out, Renesmee looked around for Caevia and finally found her on the beach with Embry surrounded by pots. She walked over and saw the two eating some pale meat that looked like it belonged to a clam.

"_Renesmee,"_ Embry said when he saw her. Caevia turned around and smiled. _"Here, try some geoduck."_

"What did he say?"

"He's offering you some _geoduck_."

"What is that?"

"The most phallic looking clam you will ever set your eyes on. You probably won't like it, though. You can tell him you don't want any." Caevia looked closer at Renesmee, though, and changed her mind. "You know what, maybe you should have some anyway. You look really pale."

"I feel it, believe me. My throat is killing me. I don't think a phallic clam will make that go away."

"At least you'll have eaten something," Caevia pleaded.

"_What's the matter?"_ Embry asked. _"Don't tell me she's turning her nose up at it without even trying it too."_

"_She's not used to raw food either,"_ Caevia said._ "I'm trying to convince her to have some."_

"We're wasting geoduck on her now?" Renesmee, Caevia and Embry looked to see Leah approaching the ocean to clean some pots.

"Is that what the locals call it in English?" Renesmee asked. "I suppose you would know that wouldn't you." Leah sneered a little before tossing the pots in Renesmee's direction nearly hitting her. Renesmee took a step back so they would land in the sand.

"Make yourself useful for a change and clean those. Or is the task too daunting for those lily white hands?"

"Is the task too daunting for yours?" Renesmee snapped back. That was it and Leah had enough of Renesmee. Embry didn't know what they were arguing over, but he knew whatever they'd been arguing about had Leah ready to beat Renesmee to a pulp. Leah was a very tall, strong woman, so Renesmee's only hope, unless Embry stepped in, would be outrunning Leah.

"_Leah, leave her be. Just walk away."_

"_No,"_ Leah said. _"This pale faced homesick little brat has insulted me for the last time."_

"_Leah, just leave her be. Jacob will kill you if you lay a hand on her."_

"_Leah, please don't patronize her,"_ Caevia said, still trying to keep on Leah's good side should she need to be on it.

"_Patronize her?! You think I'm scared of her?"_

"_That's not what I said. I'm just asking you not to make this any worse."_

"I won't be scared by you," Leah turned her attention to Renesmee. She didn't pay attention to Renesmee's nose flaring and how focused she seemed, but Caevia certainly did.

"Leah, just walk away and leave her alone," Caevia asked.

"Well," Leah went on, ignoring Caevia, "Are you all bark and no bite? Go ahead and call me white one more time. I dare you," Leah taunted.

"_Pale face,"_Renesmee said, going a step further and calling her what she was in her own language.

This time had really been the last straw. Leah began to approach Renesmee ready to give her a swift punch to her pretty face. Embry stepped between them and began to argue with Leah, but she kept trying to get past Embry. Caevia made a mad dash for Jacob's tent and made no attempt to wake him gently. When she reached the tent, she tossed open the small leather door and screamed to him that Leah was about to get into a fight with Renesmee. Jacob leaped from the ground, nearly hitting his head on a narrow side of his teepee, and ran out following Caevia to the beach. From what they could see, Leah was still trying to approach Renesmee and start a fight and several people had gathered round to see what was going on. Caevia noticed Renesmee hadn't made the slightest effort to step down or step back and avoid the fight. Caevia told Jacob to hurry and started to run faster. By the time they finally reached the beach, Leah managed to attempt grabbing Renesmee and what Caevia feared would happen happened. Renesmee not only knocked Leah a few feet back from her with a simple but very painful sounding slap to the face, she then proceeded to approach her rapidly. Caevia saw Renesmee very nearly bite right into Leah's neck, but she finally got to her and tackled Renesmee aside and the two rolled until they were both in the water. The shock of the cold water took Renesmee out of her trance and she looked around as if she'd really been completely unaware of her actions for the past minute or two. In all honesty, she had been.

"_She tried to bite me!"_Caevia yelled, pointing at her and backing up.

"_What did you do?"_ Jacob yelled back at her. As the two argued, Sokajili came to the front with William and Sara beside him. William and Sara were shocked, but Sokajili only looked shocked momentarily. Then he let out a deep breath and nodded.

"_So that's what it is,"_ he said.

"_What are you talking about?"_ William asked after he heard his brother make that comment.

"_I've known there was something very different about this girl and now I know what it is. She's not a cold one exactly but-"_

"_She's a what!"_William screamed before his brother could finish. Jacob stopped talking to Leah and looked right at his uncle.

"_What did you call her?"_

"_I didn't say she was a cold one. But she's certainly cursed with their traits. That strange sweet smell of hers hasn't gone away since you brought her here has it Jacob? When you brought her here, you just told me she'd been cooking with apples and that had caused her sweet smell, but that hasn't gone away. And now she attempts to drink Leah's blood."_

"_She's not a cold one, Sokajili! If she were, I never would've imprinted on her."_

"_She just attempted to bite me! Why else would she do that besides being thirsty?"_

"_You've done nothing but patronize her since she got her and you're surprised she finally snapped at you?!"_

"What are they yelling about?" Renesmee asked Caevia as they continued.

"Sokajili figured it out more or less," Caevia said. "He's trying to convince them that, while you're not a vampire, you certainly share their traits."

"There!" Leah yelled suddenly. _"There,"_ she continued in Quileute, _"Caevia just admitted that Sokajili is right about her. She's a monster!"_

"_She's no monster!"_ Caevia yelled in Renesmee's defense as she tried to stand up from the water despite her dress weighing her down. _"Neither is her family for that matter. The Cullens are some of the kindest people to ever take me into their home and they've never once harmed me, cold ones or not. Renesmee hasn't fed in a month and she's thirsty. When Leah began to yell at her, Renesmee just lost her senses. This would've never happened were she properly satiated."_

"_There, Jacob! What more proof do you need?"_ Leah yelled. _"Let's get rid of her and be done with it."_

"_But she doesn't drink human blood, she drinks the blood of animals! She can take down a mountain lion just as well as a vampire. She and her family satisfy their need for blood by hunting animals. They're different!"_

"_That doesn't make them any different. She's still a monster!"_

"_Quiet, Leah!"_ Jacob yelled right back at Leah.

The look in his eyes went from stern strong eyes to something strange and completely different when he shifted his attention to Renesmee. There were so many emotions flashing in his eyes that Renesmee couldn't pin what he might be thinking. Jacob wasn't even sure what to think. He still didn't really believe what he was hearing. He began to approach Renesmee slowly and Caevia didn't try to stop him. Something told her that Jacob understood, at least a little bit, that Renesmee wasn't a monster or a creature to be scoffed at. Nevertheless, she knew Jacob wouldn't hurt her. Renesmee, however, wasn't entirely sure. So she did the first thing she could think to do: she ran. Despite the weight of water making her dress heavier, Renesmee ran. She heard Caevia yell her name and she heard the other villagers mumbling and talking amongst themselves as she ran.

She wasn't sure exactly where she was running, but she just ran. It was a long time before she realized that Jacob was right behind her, not only keeping pace with her but catching up as well. Then she heard him shift suddenly and begin to run around her. She was so confused why he would do such a thing, but she took advantage of the situation and began to change course. After a minute of just running, she heard the sound of a wild cat in the distance make a sound of distress. Her instincts took over and she went right in the direction the sound came from. It took seconds for her to find where the sound came from and when she'd found it, she saw Jacob hovering over a dead mountain lion. Renesmee simply attacked it without a thought. The still warm blood cooled her throat like she'd desperately needed, so much so that she even moaned. She finished off the beast before long and when she released it with a sigh of relief, she looked up and saw Jacob. She expected him to look horrified, disgusted, anything. But he wasn't. Instead, he seemed to smile with his eyes and kneeled down to a laying dog position, proceeding to hold his head down just submissively enough.

Renesmee couldn't believe what she was seeing. He was telling her accepted this. She could still see love in his eyes for her. Something about that struck her as so strange that she wasn't sure how to feel about it herself. She was touched for how kind and accepting he was being and yet she felt so guilty that this act of kindness touched her so much. She was beginning to realize this man that had forced her from her from Peter's home was showing her more affection than her own husband and that really scared her. She stayed sitting, as did Jacob, and the two just stared at each other. Jacob hoped this was a sign that perhaps things were moving forward and she finally was beginning to love him. To Renesmee, though, it felt like a brick wall of an impasse.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was another week and a half before the rest of the Cullens showed up at Peter's home, but by then he'd left with Sergeant Lovejoy and his men to check some other nearby tribes. Embry and Jasper did the exact same thing as everyone else when they arrived. They searched the property up and down for any remaining smell, though the wet dog smell had long since dissipated almost completely, and tried to follow where it went. Yet just as all the others had experienced, the smell was completely lost when they reached the brook and they couldn't follow any further. When Embry and Jasper returned to the house, Esme and Alice were still sitting around Bella trying to comfort her.

"What the hell was this guy doing when Renesmee and Caevia were taken?" Emmett asked harshly.

"He told me he'd been in town trying to get a deal set up with one of his friends to sell this jam and butter in town," Edward said.

"Damn pig farmer should've brought her with him," Emmett continued. "She's the one that put all the fucking work in."

"Emmett," Rosalie said, "he's looking for her. That's all he can do."

"This is ridiculous," Jasper said. "What chance does he have of finding her? We should be the ones looking for her. We'll just keep looking until we find that gross wet dog smell."

"And where would we even start?" Edward asked. "How can we even be certain it was Indians that took her? All we have to go on is a wet dog smell and the assumption of bigots that don't like Indians anyway."

"They probably think Caevia's at fault for this whole thing," Carlisle said.

"Maybe she is," Jasper said. All but Edward looked at him stunned and confused. "Just hear me out. Caevia wasn't exactly pleased with Renesmee's decision. She was trying just as much as us to convince Renesmee to reconsider. Maybe Caevia staged it to look like they'd been kidnapped by Indians when really Caevia finally knocked some sense into Renesmee and they're on their way home."

"Then one of us needs to be at home!" Bella yelled suddenly.

"We'll go back," Carlisle spoke up. "Esme and I will wait for her in Chicago and if Renesmee and Caevia pop up, we'll send a message letting you know she's home."

"What if that's not what happened?" Alice asked. She looked as if she might cry were she able. "I can't see her. I can't see her future, I can't see what her plans are or even Caevia's. I can't see anything."

"Alice, don't start placing the blame on yourself," Jasper said rushing to her side. "If anything it's all our faults. We should've started moving our things here the moment she told us about this, wanting her independence be damned."

"Everyone," Carlisle interrupted. "We can spend an eternity thinking of what we should've done but that won't solve anything. We need to start thinking about what we can do now. Esme and I will go back to Chicago and wait for the two of them to return assuming Jasper's guess is correct. I've already sent a message to the Denalis letting them know about this and I'm sure Garrett will fill them in the rest of the way when he gets there. They'll look for her too. We can't assume that's too far for her to have been taken. One of us should start looking around Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho leaving no tribe unturned. No matter what, though, you have to keep your presence discreet."

"I'll look for her," Emmett volunteered. "I'll look over each state until I find her."

"I'll help him look," Rosalie offered, but Edward shook his head.

"We need to keep as many of us here as possible. I told Peter the rest of the family was coming and there's no telling when he'll come back and whether or not he'll have Renesmee with him when he's back."

"If we can't seem to find her, what hope does a pig farmer and a self-proclaimed 'Indian Expert' have?" Emmett asked.

"What matters is that there are a lot of people looking," Edward said. "Bella and I already checked, but look through the Spokane tribe again anyway. You never know whether or not Renesmee and Caevia are being shuttled around."

"No one will be left unchecked," Emmett nodded before running out the door to start his search East.

"We'll leave now too," Carlisle said as he lifted Esme to her feet. "We'll send word if Renesmee and Caevia come home."

"Thank you," Bella said.

After saying their goodbyes to everyone, Esme and Carlisle left the house and ran back to Chicago. When they'd arrived home at long last, Esme kept herself occupied cleaning the house, particularly Renesmee's and Caevia's rooms, so they would have a clean cozy place to come home to. Edward and Jasper periodically searched the area surrounding the house in the hopes that perhaps whatever had caused that wet dog smell would come back and lead them to Renesmee, but the smell never popped up again.

Back at the village, William was furious. Completely, unashamedly, uncompromisingly furious. He was furious that Jacob seemed so unaffected by this, he was furious that Renesmee nearly killed his niece, he was furious to find out that Renesmee was a cold one (whether she was half vampire or not was completely irrelevant) and he was just furious. Sara could do nothing to calm him because she was focusing on Leah. After the whole thing was done and over with, she actually crumbled when it really hit her that Renesmee had tried and would've been fully capable of killing her. It was days before she left the tent she and Seth shared. Sokajili's words weren't sinking in either. Following the incident when Jacob came back with Renesmee, William yelled for Jacob to come to his tent immediately so they could talk. Jacob insisted on bringing Renesmee with seeing as all the villagers were either too scared to approach her or might attempt to hurt her without knowing what else to do. Caevia forced her way into William's tent to help Renesmee understand what was going on and so she could come to Renesmee's defense and tell the whole story. Embry insisted on being there too, leaving William in his, albeit larger, tent with several more people than normal.

"_It's bad enough you kidnapped a pale face, but you kidnapped a pale faced cold one!"_

"_I've told you,"_ Sokajili said, _"She's not entirely cold one and this woman stated the same. What was it you were telling us? Her mother was human at the time of her conception?"_

"_Yes,"_ Caevia nodded, then turned to Renesmee and told her everything that had been said thus far.

"_I don't care! What I care about is the fact that she nearly killed Leah! I can't trust that she won't harm anyone else!"_

"_I already took care of her,"_ Jacob spoke up. _"And now that we know, I can take her hunting regularly. This happened because Caevia wouldn't tell us what was going on when we asked!"_

"_Don't you dare try to put the blame on me!"_ Caevia snapped back. _"After what you've done you're lucky I told you what I__did__tell you. You have no right to demand-"_

"_This is my people's wellbeing we're discussing! I'm within my power to demand her executed for what happened today if I wanted to!"_ William yelled, but Jacob immediately stepped in.

"_Not another word, father. You know I'll take her and leave before I let you do that."_

"_Where would you even go?!"_

"_It doesn't matter where I'd even go. What matters is without me, the chief's position will have to go to either Rebecca's or Rachael's husbands. Do you really want that?"_

"_Don't you threaten me,"_William said harshly. Renesmee had no idea what was going on, but at the moment, she really couldn't muster a care. She was still dazed over earlier and what happened in the woods with Jacob was still weighing heavily on her mind.

"_Regardless you're not taking her anywhere,"_ Caevia stepped in. _"You've done enough damage as it is thus far."_

"_Caevia,"_ Embry spoke, _"If it's something this serious, why wouldn't you tell any of us about this? At the very least, why didn't you tell me?"_

"_As I've said many times before, it's not up to me to tell you any of this without her permission. Were it not for what happened today, you still wouldn't know. I didn't tell you for the same reason."_

"_Listen,"_ William started, _"We can't keep her here anymore. You'll have to either take her back or find somewhere else to keep her. She's scared everyone and I won't have her walking around freely as if she's no threat to us at all."_

"_She won't be a threat anymore!"_ Jacob yelled.

"_How can you be so sure? I don't want that girl here anymore!"_

"_Then take her home!"_ Caevia yelled more at Jacob than at William. _"She's not happy and keeping her here longer won't make her happier."_

"_Would you go with her then?"_ Embry asked, deflated. Caevia just stared at Embry thinking of what to say, but Jacob stepped in before she could say anything.

"_Going back won't make her happy,"_ Jacob said.

"He's so bullheaded," Caevia mumbled. Renesmee finally looked at Caevia.

"What's going on?"

"William wants to get rid of you but Jacob's insisting you stay and that you won't be a threat to anyone anymore now that they're aware of the problem. I tried telling him to take you back, but he thinks that won't make you happy either." Renesmee didn't answer and looked at her fingers. "What's the matter?" Caevia asked when she looked at Renesmee.

"I ran this morning because I was scared. Not scared that they'd kill me, though. I could fight them off if I really needed to."

"Then what scared you?"

"What Jacob thought of me," Renesmee answered frankly. Having heard his name, Jacob stopped talking to his father and looked right at Caevia.

"_What's going on?"_

"_Don't worry about that,"_ William said. _"You worry about what you plan to do about this woman. I understand she's your imprint, Jacob, but that doesn't give you free reign to compromise all our welfare."_

"_She's not a danger, father."_

"_Wishful thinking I say,"_ William said.

"_How about we do this?"_ Sokajili interrupted. _"This happened in part because Jacob wasn't around to control the situation as he has promised he would. So from now on, no matter what Jacob, you're never to let this woman out of your sight."_

"_That's completely ridiculous!"_ Caevia said. _"He doesn't need to hover of her like she's a criminal."_

"_Until I say otherwise,"_ William interrupted,_"she __is__ a criminal. I'll accept Sokajili's plan, but if anything like this ever happens again, she's to be cast back where you got her from."_

"_I'll take care of her,"_ Jacob said. It was better to accept Sokajili's plan now and let William cool down rather than argue over his alternative plan and make things worse.

"_You don't need to take care of her. I can do that just fine. I was able to stop Renesmee before she hurt Leah after all."_

"_And now I'll worry about that,"_ Jacob insisted, then looked at Renesmee. "You stay with me," he said to her.

"I'm staying with you?" Renesmee asked.

"He's trying to say that he'll be on you like a barnacle to a boat from now on." Renesmee, rather than argue, took a deep breath.

"How do I say I'm alright with that?" Caevia didn't immediately translate. Rather, she stared at Renesmee for a moment, surprised by her choice. "Please Caevia," Renesmee said when Caevia didn't immediately speak.

"_She says she's alright with it."_ Caevia finally said.

"You say, '_I'm alright with you staying close to me.'_" Jacob stepped in. He understood Renesmee was trying to ask how to say something. Now that Caevia told him what she was trying to say, it was another opportunity to teach her more Quileute.

"_I'm alright with you staying close to me,"_ Renesmee repeated. Caevia looked at the two a moment.

"Why didn't you say you wanted to learn Quileute?"

"I didn't until Jacob started teaching me. Now it just makes sense for me to start learning. We could teach other our languages. I'm impressed how quickly he's picking up English."

"I'm sure Seth will be relieved to not have to teach Jacob English anymore," Caevia said.

"_Caevia,"_ Embry suddenly spoke up. _"It might help them both if you and I just kept a distance from them for a while."_

"_How would that help them exactly?"_

"_Look how much good it always does us,"_ Embry smiled.

"_You and I can understand each other. Those two can barely communicate. How would being alone do either of them any good when there's such a big language barrier?"_

"_I'm learning_English_and I'll keep teaching her Quileute. There's no reason this can't work."_

"_I don't care what you do so long as you never leave her unsupervised."_ William said.

"_Unsupervised?!"_Caevia snapped. _"What is she, a juvenile delinquent?"_

"_For the time being, yes,"_William said. _"Now all of you get out. I'm sick of talking about this."_

Everyone save for William left the tent and that was the end of the subject matter for that day. Caevia and Renesmee stayed in Jacob's tent together for the rest of the day so the villagers could decompress from the day's happenings while Leah remained in her tent. William had to announce to everyone what they'd come to a consensus on and most everyone was less than pleased due simply to the fact that they really were scared of her now. Jacob, far more so than William, came to Renesmee's defense and demanded that despite what happened that day Renesmee was to be accepted as one of them.

Jacob was initially met with resistance, no one willing to accept her. One man spoke up and called Jacob a hypocrite. He and his pack as well as all packs before his had fought cold ones and shunned them as monsters and rightfully so. It was a cold one that nearly led to their demise. Were it not for the sacrifice of Taha Aki's third wife, there would be no Quileute tribe today. Now, a descendent of Taha Aki was telling his people to accept a cold one as a member of the tribe and, one day, the wife to their future chief? That prospect wasn't going down well. William stood by Jacob's demands though and that made it official. They had to accept her and be good to her whether they liked it or not.

After Jacob and William spoke with the tribe, William insisted Jacob go to his tent and look after Renesmee. Embry came with Jacob so he could spend time with Caevia since she was refusing to leave Renesmee alone, at least for the time being.

"_This certainly explains why she bit you when you started running off with her,"_ Embry said when they were all together in Jacob's tent.

"_Yeah,"_ Jacob replied quietly. At the moment, he was deep in thought over the people's reaction when he told them to accept Renesmee. He couldn't pretend that their fear wasn't warranted. _"Would you mind taking Caevia and leaving me and Renesmee alone?"_

"_Whatever you want to discuss with her, it's certainly too complicated to talk about with both your limited _English_ and her limited Quileute."_

"_I still would rather talk to her alone. I'll draw it out if I have to."_

"_Caevia,"_ Embry said. _"Let's just leave them alone. Please?"_ Caevia looked at Embry a moment, who kept his eyes pleading so she might do what he asked. Eventually, Caevia looked at Renesmee, who'd spent the remainder of the afternoon staring at her hands solemnly.

"Renesmee," Caevia said, "Jacob said he wants to talk to you alone. Are you alright with me leaving with Embry?"

"Sure," Renesmee said without even looking up.

"Are you positive? I can stay if you want me to."

"No, you can go."

Finally, Caevia left the tent with Embry and went to his own. When Renesmee and Jacob were alone, he took his time getting the conversation started. He needed to think how to word what he wanted to say. He knew a lot of it would end up being drawn in the dirt. It broke his heart how depressed Renesmee looked and trying to find the right words to attempt to comfort her was extremely frustrating.

"How you feel?" Jacob started with. Renesmee looked up at him and shifted a little. She wrapped her arms around her legs and started rocking back and forth.

"How do I feel?" Jacob nodded. "Ask me, 'How do you feel'?"

"How do you feel?" Jacob repeated. "It was…a hard day."

"Very good," Renesmee praised. "Your English is improving."

"Renesmee," Jacob said, "please tell me how you feel."

"I nearly killed your cousin. How do you think I feel?" Jacob didn't understand enough to know what she was saying. "I'm upset," Renesmee rephrased. Thankfully, Jacob understood that.

"I spoke with people," Jacob managed after thinking a minute. "Give time."

"Time won't change that I nearly killed your cousin," Renesmee mumbled more than anything.

That wasn't what was really bothering her, though. She was more concerned about the fact that despite everything, Jacob was beginning to grow on her. Dare she say, she was even starting to really like him. She'd always felt strange looking at him. She could only imagine it was attraction. She could live with being attracted to him but developing feelings for him? In short, she felt guilty. How could she have feelings for a man that forced her from her new husband? It made her feel like a bad wife. She'd barely been married a month and she was already failing as a wife. She was ashamed of herself.

"Renesmee," Jacob said. "It is alright. Give time, everything be okay."

"'Everything will be okay'," Renesmee corrected.

"Give it time, everything will be okay," Jacob repeated. Renesmee couldn't help but look up at Jacob now, impressed he'd caught his other mistake.

"You're doing so well," Renesmee said.

"Don't worry about me," Jacob said, once again, in impressive English. Suddenly, Jacob crawled to her and sat beside her. Then he took her in his arms in a hug. Renesmee was so surprised, she didn't react immediately. "I want to make you happy, Renesmee," he said. "Please let me make you happy."

He really was trying very hard. That touched her how hard he was working to communicate with her and yet it made her feel even more ashamed with herself. She started crying and pushed him away from her. Then she laid down on the blanket with her back to him. Seeing that broke Jacob's heart, but rather than let that push him away, he laid down beside her and held her in his arms again with her back to his chest. His arms were so warm, his chest so broad and warm. She couldn't push him away. His embrace was comforting no matter how much she didn't want it to be. Jacob's chin rested atop her head initially, but then he moved his head so his nose was in her hair. She really did smell sweet. He couldn't deny that. But it wasn't too sweet. It wasn't the disgusting, cloyingly sweet smell that vampires had. It was just a pleasant sweet smell like breathing in fruit. As much as Jacob wanted to kiss Renesmee, he resisted the urge. It was a miracle she was allowing this. He didn't want to risk ruining it.

The next morning, Renesmee refused to leave Jacob's tent and he stayed with her. Caevia left Embry's tent, but no one was scared of her. If anything they were shocked that she'd been able to be with cold ones for so long and be safe. But Caevia was more concerned about Renesmee. Yet despite her concerns, she stayed with Embry the whole day watching him fish and then learning how to debone and clean a fish. One of the women insisted that Caevia change out of her impractical pale face dress and wear the same leather, fur lined clothes everyone else was wearing. Caevia agreed and felt comfortable. She was shocked that she'd forgotten how comfortable it was not to wear those tighter, restrictive dresses most women wore. Embry sat with her while she did any chores with the other women. She found herself constantly defending Renesmee through all the chores and it became frustrating. Eventually, Embry decided to just take her away and they went for a walk along the beach. Eventually, they reached a white log that sat at the water's edge.

"_Let's sit for a while,"_ Embry said when they reached the log. Embry and Caevia sat on the log together and looked out into the distance. The sun was beginning to set and the waves crashed against their bare feet. _"I'm sorry about today. I know you don't really want to talk about what happened yesterday."_

"_No,"_ Caevia said, _"I really don't."_

"_This will blow over eventually. Once this blows over, everything can go back to normal."_

"_Back to normal, huh,"_ Caevia mumbled a little. Embry heard her strange tone of voice and sighed a little. He knew he'd have to ask her a hard question and he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to it.

"_I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me."_

"_What is it you want to ask me?"_ Before he asked his question, Embry closed the remaining distance between them until their hips were touching. Caevia got tense and he noticed, but he pressed on.

"_I want you to be completely honest with me, Caevia. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me the truth."_

"_Alright,"_ Caevia nodded.

"_Good,"_ Embry said. Then he took a deep breath and prepared to ask his question. _"Forget about how you got here. Forget about everything except the time you and I have spent together. Now tell me: are you happy with me? Do I make you happy?"_ The honest answer was he did. She'd never been this happy before and she knew it. She wasn't planning to admit that, though. What good would it do her? But when she looked Embry in the eye prepared to say none of it really mattered, she couldn't say that. Not with the way he was looking at her. No one had ever looked at her with such love and tenderness. That look made it impossible to lie to him.

"_I'm happier with you than I've ever been in my whole life."_ The smile Embry gave her was so genuine. It warmed her heart even more. Then Embry took a hold of her hand, lacing his fingers through hers.

"_I want to keep making you happy Caevia. I want you to be happy here."_

"_Renesmee's not happy. How can I be happy when she's not? Staying here would mean abandoning her."_

"_You wouldn't be abandoning her if she stayed here too with Jacob. Think of how I feel about you and think about what you feel for me: what I know you feel for me. That's what Jacob feels for Renesmee. He'll make her happy if she'll let him. Just like I'll make you happy if you let me."_

"_Embry,"_ Caevia began to protest, but he stepped in.

"_Caevia, I want to be with you. I really do. I've been waiting for you all my life and now I want to be with you forever."_

"_You don't want me,"_ Caevia said, shaking her head.

"_Yes I do, Caevia. I want to marry you,"_ Embry said. Caevia began to look teary eyed and Embry continued. _"I want us to start a family."_ When Embry said that, she broke down and continued to shake her head.

"_You don't want me, Embry. I'm not worth having."_

"_I do want you, Caevia. I'll do anything to make you happy. Doesn't that prove how worthwhile you really are?"_

"_You wouldn't think so if you really knew me,"_ Caevia said.

"_Nothing you could tell me would change how I feel about you."_ Caevia actually laughed a little, but it was a dark and somber laugh.

"_That's not true,"_ Caevia insisted. _"If you knew, you wouldn't want me."_

"_Fine,"_ Embry said. _"Try me."_ Caevia looked up at Embry expecting him to look irritated. He was smiling gently at her, trying to be encouraging.

"_I've been pregnant five times. Three were dead before they were born and two were forced from me before I could even hold them and thrown off the Pedestal. I had sex for the first time before I was even a woman."_ Embry wasn't sure what to say. It was a statement that was so out of nowhere he wasn't sure what to say. _"I told you I wasn't worth having. I'm damaged goods, Embry."_

_"Start from the beginning,"_ Embry said, seizing the opportunity to help Caevia finally talk about what happened. The two stared at each other. Embry kept his eyes encouraging and Caevia seemed as if she were challenging him with hers. He didn't change the way he looked at her, though.

"_I told you I'm only half Thunderbird. My mother was of the slave class and my father was a Thunderbird. Mother never told me who he was, though, so I never knew my father. My mother was married at the time of my conception, so she was able to blame the pregnancy on him. My false father knew the truth though. My mother's husband always knew I was the result of rape from a Thunderbird. I think I was a constant reminder of that and he shunned me. My half brother shunned me, my false father shunned me, and my mother and I had virtually no relationship. Her husband wouldn't allow it."_

"_Why did she go along with that?"_

"_Fear most certainly."_ Caevia began to cry and she felt Embry squeeze her hand. _"Once, I asked my mother if she loved me. She said, 'I want to, Caevia.'"_ Embry her hand again to offer comfort. He knew nothing he could say would make that pain go away. He had to settle for comforting touches. _"Both my mother and her husband died of disease when I was very young. My half brother ran away around that time too. I begged him to take me with him. I literally begged, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't let me go with him and I was left alone when I was still a child."_

"_How did you go on from there?"_

"_I just did it. I took care of myself like I'd already been doing. I fended for myself until Kuruk came along."_ When Caevia said that name, Embry noticed her voice weaken and her grip tighten. He realized whoever this person was, this person had hurt her.

"_Who was Kuruk?"_ He gave Caevia time to brush away the tears that fell before she continued.

"_He was the man that started taking care of me. He told me I was pretty and he gave me food and clothes. I sort of latched onto him as a father figure and that worked out for a while. But one day things changed radically."_

"_How so?"_ Caevia stopped again and started shaking.

"_He took me to his tent when his wife was away. He gave me food and a new dress. This time, though, he started touching me. He touched my hair, my back and before I knew it, he told me he wanted me to try on my new dress. I put it on and he told me how cute I looked. But then he made me take it off and he started touching me again. I didn't understand what he was doing at the time."_

"_What was he doing,"_ Embry said as calmly as he could. It took Caevia a moment to continue.

"_He was touching me intimately. We didn't have sex that day, but he did make me perform oral sex on him."_ Now Embry was shaking, but he kept his eyes gentle. If he let her see how angry he felt, it would discourage her. He wasn't angry with her, though. He was angry at this man that had forced himself on her and seemed to justify his behavior by feeding and clothing her.

"_How long did this go on?"_

"_A long time, that's all I know. I wasn't a woman when it started, but I was a woman shortly after it did. He was the father of my first three children. The first time I got pregnant, I didn't know what was happening to me. I was sick, my stomach got bigger, and I thought I might be dying. I told Kuruk what was happening to me. I thought he would know what to do or what was happening. After I told him, he said he knew what to do and asked me to stand up. Then he…."_ Caevia stopped suddenly as tears prevented her from continuing.

"_He what?"_ Embry said as calmly as he could.

"_He punched my stomach so hard that I just fell over. I was in so much pain for so long. A woman came to my tent to examine me. I think Kuruk must have sent her. A few hours later, she apologized to me and said I'd lost my baby."_ Caevia's voice cracked and she began to cry more. This time Embry couldn't keep his eyes from showing how upset he was. He couldn't understand how this man could do that.

"_He did that to you?"_ Caevia nodded. Embry gave her time to cry and he needed time to stop shaking. He was livid. She didn't deserve any of that.

"_After I'd lost the baby, Kuruk came back to me and said he was sorry. He said he'd panicked and that he didn't want to hurt me. He said he hadn't meant to hurt my baby. I didn't want to accept his apology, but I was scared what would happen if I didn't. So things went back to normal after that. I don't know how long it was before I got pregnant again but the second time around, I caught it. I did everything I could to hide it. I wore looser clothes, I made sure I was covered during sex or that my stomach wasn't exposed to his view. I got further along that time. The bump got bigger and I started to feel kicking. I thought I might be able to hide the pregnancy from Kuruk and have my child. But he figured it out eventually. One day when he came to my tent, he suddenly asked me to stand up for him, but I refused. I kept refusing until he lost all his patience and forced me to stand. He punched me as he had before, but it didn't stop there. He beat me up so badly that I couldn't move for so long. I lost my second child that day."_

Caevia cried more from there and Embry waited for her to finish. He was really beginning to understand why she'd been so cold initially. How could she not be after everything that happened with this man? Yet this wasn't the end of it. She'd spoken of losing five children, which meant there were three more stories to go.

"_He told me never to disobey him and I didn't get help until someone overheard me. I didn't see Kuruk for a long time after that. I wanted to get back at him for killing two children, so when I was well enough, I waited until his wife was alone and told her that her husband and I had been in a relationship. I told her about the two pregnancies and how he'd beaten me to force them over. She was furious and tried to fight me, but I ran away. Later that day, Kuruk came to me and began beating me for telling his wife about our relationship. He raped me after beating me and he told me to never do that again. That was the third time I got pregnant. You know what happens next."_

"_He forced you to lose that baby too?"_ Caevia nodded and continued to cry.

"_Our relationship ended after that, but he wouldn't let me move on. I fell in love with another man, but he told that man about our previous relationship and he refused to marry me. I was heartbroken. I had to move on with my life, but things kept getting harder. Then the Thunderbirds took notice of me. They found me attractive and they did to me what they'd done to my mother. The only difference is I didn't have a husband to blame my resulting pregnancies on. It was the first time a child of mine was born, but it was delivered by the Thunderbirds' medicine man. My daughter was born, but he wouldn't let me hold her. He took her away from me. I tried to crawl after him, but I just couldn't move far. The tribe has a tower from which our birds would launch off. It was also used for executions. And that's how my daughter died. They just threw her off."_

Watching Caevia cry made Embry want to. And yet this still wasn't the end. Caevia told him of her fifth and final child, another girl ripped from her and thrown off the Pedestal without a name and without Caevia ever being able to hold her daughter in her arms.

"_How did you come to be sold by the Thunderbirds? You said that's what happened right?"_ Embry couldn't believe he'd spoken with an even and calm voice. Caevia nodded.

"_Yes. Pale faces came to our village and wanted slaves so our chief sold some of us. I've been sold to so many pale faces."_ Caevia pulled up her dress to show Embry her thigh. On it was a large symbol that looked like a T. Then on the other thigh, she had a brand that looked like a K. Then she turned her back to him and pulled the ties of her dress and showed him all her scars. _"I've been beaten, I've been branded, but the worst was the _whip."

"_What's the _whip?"

"_It's a long leather string with sharp pieces on it. The one holding it lashes it against the victim's back and it tears flesh away. It's the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced save for when Kuruk would punch my stomach to force me to lose my babies."_ Caevia pulled her dress back up and tied it so her back was no longer exposed. Then she returned to looking at Embry and her eyes looked cold and serious. _"I told you. I'm not worth anything. I'm damaged."_

"_No,"_ Embry said. Then he surprised her by bringing his hand to her cheek and kissing her on the lips. She just stared at him, her eyes wide. He took back a hold of her hand and continued to kiss her. Caevia's eyes stayed open the whole time and when Embry finally took his lips away, he looked at her just as serious, but without a shred of coldness in his eyes. _"None of that will happen to you ever again. No one will lay a hand on you. No one will force our children from you. You and I will have as many children as you want and they will all be born strong and healthy."_

"_Embry,"_ Caevia whimpered.

"_I can't change what happened. But I can make you happy now. And I can love you." _ Caevia started trembling again, but for completely different reasons. _"I love you, Caevia."_

"_I love you too,"_ Caevia admitted without a second thought. Embry kissed her again and this time Caevia closed her eyes. If she'd had any doubts before, they were gone now. If this man could love her despite her past, if he could love her regardless of everything, then she could love him too and she really did. Were he any other man, she would assume he was lying to her in order to achieve his own ends. It was something Kuruk had done many times over, but with Embry, she knew that wasn't the case. She knew he was different and that she could trust him. As they kissed, she felt something around her wrist. She took her lips away and looked at her wrist thinking it couldn't be what she thought it was. Yet there it was: a bracelet woven from thin wood to create a band proposing marriage. When Caevia looked at Embry, he smiled and brought her to her feet with him.

"_Will you marry me, Caevia? Will you be the mother to my children and spend your life with me?"_ Caevia kept shaking. It was so sudden and she couldn't believe it. He looked so loving and his touch was so gentle. She might've fallen were he not holding her up.

"_Yes,"_ she finally said. Embry smiled the brightest smile she'd ever seen from him and he lifted her into his arms and spun her around while kissing her. When he put her back to her feet and ended the kiss, he looked at her and rested his forehead against hers.

"_Let's go to Sokajili. He'll tell us when we can get married."_

Caevia and Embry walked back to the village slowly, not even holding hands once they arrived. It was considered bad luck to prance into the medicine man's tent like that when one wanted their wedding night to be chosen. Sokajili was mixing herbs when they came in and asked for him to perform the moon ceremony. Caevia knew her tribe had a similar practice of choosing when a couple's marriage would be blessed though this would be the first time she'd ever see it.

"_This is certainly unexpected,"_ Sokajili said when Embry told him why they were there. _"Though I suppose everyone needs a wedding after yesterday: brighten everyone's spirits."_

"_Let's not talk about that,"_ Embry requested. _"Are you ready?"_ Embry asked Caevia.

"_Yeah, I'm ready. How do we do this?"_

"_Well usually I'd need your father to be here initially so he can confirm for me that he's allowing this marriage, but since that's not possible, I'll only ask you, Caevia if you're sure that you're ready to marry Embry."_

"_I'm sure,"_ Caevia answered firmly.

"_That's a good answer. I'll light the fire, then, and we'll get started."_ Sokajili began lighting a fire and once it was strong enough, he told Embry and Caevia to hold their hands above the flames. They held their hands over the flames together until it started to become uncomfortable, but Sokajili eventually told them to remove their hands from atop the fire and immediately threw specific dried, crushed flowers into the fire which produced a sweet smell. Sokajili's eyes rolled into the back of his head momentarily and he began to chant something. Caevia saw some shape appear, but she couldn't distinguish what it was supposed to be. Thankfully, Sokajili knew and his eyes returned to normal after the chant. Caevia hadn't imagined the ceremony would be so quick. _"Congratulations to you both. For greatest happiness and prosperity, you must marry under the new moon."_

"_When is that?"_Caevia asked.

"_In three days. Preparations will begin as soon as you both announce your marriage."_ Sokajili returned his attention to his previous task while Embry looked at Caevia with a bright smile.

"_We'd better make the announcement. Are you ready?"_

"_Actually,"_ Caevia started, _"I want to tell Renesmee first."_

"_Sure,"_ Embry said.

They left Sokajili's tent together and went straight to Jacob's tent. It wasn't tied from the inside, so Caevia and Embry let themselves in. Jacob and Renesmee were in the middle of a mutual language lesson when they both looked up to see who came in.

"Oh, Caevia," Renesmee said. Caevia kneeled down with Renesmee before she looked up at Embry.

"_Could I speak with her alone?"_

"_Why, what's going on?"_ Jacob asked.

"_We went to Sokajili and he said we can marry under the new moon."_

"_You two are getting married?"_ Jacob nearly shouted in surprise.

"Oh God, what's going on now?" Renesmee asked, assuming the worst based on how Jacob just yelled.

"I'll tell you in a minute." Caevia turned her attention to Jacob. _"Both of you leave so we can talk."_

"_Why do you need to be alone to tell her you're getting married?"_ Jacob asked.

"_Jacob, we can stand right outside, but just let them have some privacy,"_Embry stepped in.

"_Fine,"_ Jacob said and the two left the tent and waited outside. When they were alone, Caevia finally felt comfortable talking with her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I nearly murdered someone yesterday. I'm still trying to make that image leave me head."

"It will eventually."

"So what was Jacob yelling about. Please tell me they're not getting a stake ready for nailing me to."

"No, Jacob seems to have handled that. They're all scared of you but Jacob made it clear they're to accept you. At least, that's what the women I spoke with earlier told me."

"I see. So if they're not planning to execute me then what's all the yelling about?"

"Jacob was just reacting to what Embry told him. Embry asked me to marry him this afternoon."

"Embry proposed to you?" Renesmee said, having nearly the same reaction as Jacob. "What did you say?"

"I said yes," Caevia answered. "I told him everything," Caevia began. "I told him about Kuruk, I told him about all the children I'd lost, everything. He didn't judge me, though. Instead he held me, kissed me and said he would never let any of that happen to me again. Were he anyone else, I don't think I'd believe him. But the fact that he accepted me touched me deeply. It made me love him even more."

"So you're happy to marry him?" When Caevia smiled, Renesmee knew her answer.

"I am," she answered honestly. "I'm happy with him."

"And I want you to be happy," Renesmee said as she took a hold of Caevia's hand. "If Embry makes you happy, then I want you to marry him. Stay here with him and start a family like you've always wanted. I'll worry about everything else."

"Are you still planning to escape?"

"Yes. But at least now, I won't have to carry food or anything. I can just run and keep running until I find my way back. I'll think of something to tell Peter on the way home. I can just tell him you were attacked by mountain lions or something."

"Just tell him I went down in glory," Caevia joked.

"I'll tell him you died wrestling the lion away from me." Caevia and Renesmee laughed together a moment. Then Caevia took Renesmee in a hug.

"I don't want you to leave," Caevia said.

"I don't want to leave you either, but I have to go back."

"Will you stay for my wedding?"

"I wouldn't miss that for the world," Renesmee promised.

After that, Caevia came back outside so she and Embry could announce they were getting married. The people cheered for them when Embry made the announcement and they village was immediately active, hustling and bustling over getting things ready for the wedding. The first thing was to start gathering potatoes to give to the bride and groom. That would take the longest to find enough potatoes to give to Embry and Caevia and to feed the village after the actual ceremony. Renesmee stepped out of Jacob's tent for the announcement, but immediately recoiled back inside when she saw the looks some people gave her at the sight of her. The only time Jacob left Renesmee's side since the incident was during nightly patrol. The night Embry and Caevia got engaged, Jacob and Quil patrolled the woods alone. Jacob hadn't been able to understand much of Renesmee's and Caevia's conversation, but he'd understood enough to know Renesmee was still talking about leaving. Jacob asked Quil for advice, at a loss of what else to do, but Quil had no better an idea of what to do than Jacob.

_Do you think she's just not comfortable yet?_ Jacob asked Quil.

_I don't know, Jacob. I would think all things considered, it's more complicated than that. Are you going to try and talk to her about this?_

_I'll try to, but I don't know what to say or even how to appropriately say it. I might have to practice a conversation with Seth or something._

_I don't know,_ Embry relayed hesitantly. _Seth isn't too happy with Renesmee either right now. _

_That doesn't mean he can't help me._

_Whatever you think is best,_Quil said.

From there, patrol went on normally with no cold ones coming around and no other issues. Renesmee was in his tent when Jacob returned, sound asleep. People would start working on the wedding before long. He knew Renesmee would probably want to help Caevia with anything she would be doing. As far as he knew, she would be getting the dress fitted to her today for sure. They wouldn't sew in on her until tomorrow, but they would need to make sure it would fit when they did. Jacob didn't want to ruin the day for either Renesmee or Caevia, so Jacob decided he'd wait to talk to her until after the wedding. Jacob walked over the Renesmee and sat down next to her and stared at her. The more he looked at her, though, the more his thoughts wandered. Maybe he really wasn't doing the right thing. Maybe this wasn't really what she wanted. He had to be honest with himself and realize that he wasn't making her happy. The thought crushed him, but he needed to admit it. If she were really happy, she wouldn't still be planning to run. He'd thought that maybe once Embry won Caevia's heart, he'd win Renesmee's too but that didn't look like it was the case. After looking at Renesmee for a long stretch of time and thinking, he decided he wouldn't confront her. He wouldn't stop her from running away, no matter how much he wanted to. He'd check up on her from time to time, but that seemed to be all he could hope for. The more he thought about it, the more his chest hurt and he began to feel sick. He noticed Renesmee begin to steer, so he took a deep breath and remained as stoic as possible. He hurried to brush away the tear that had escaped his right eye in a desperate attempt to continue the façade.

"Morning," Jacob said. Renesmee looked up at him and then pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Morning," Renesmee replied as she rubbed her eyes. "Is it late?"

"No," Jacob answered. "Sun come up now."

"You mean it's dawn?" Jacob just stared, indicating he wasn't certain what she was saying. So Renesmee grabbed a stick and drew out dawn in the dirt. Just as an afterthought, she actually wrote 'Dawn' above the picture and made an arrow from the word pointing at the sun and it's position. "Dawn," Renesmee said.

"Dawn," Jacob repeated.

"When the sun is here," Renesmee pointed at the position, "the time is dawn. Do you understand?"

"When sun here," Jacob pointed where she pointed. _"Is that what pale faces call this time of day? _Dawn?"

"Yes, this is called 'Dawn'," Renesmee confirmed only really understanding small bits of what he said.

"Dawn," Jacob repeated. Then Renesmee erased that picture and drew another one, this time showing the sun high above the horizon.

"This is called 'Day'," Renesmee said. "When the sun is here, it's likely noon. Noon is the middle of the day."

"I don't understand," Jacob said frankly. Unsure how else to explain herself, she wrote the word out and put the actual time of 12:00 next to the picture hoping the visual aspect would make it easier to understand.

"Noon," Renesmee said, pointing at the time she'd written down.

"Noon," Jacob repeated.

"Noon is also called mid-day."

"I don't understand," Jacob said again and Renesmee sighed a little. Then Renesmee had an idea. She erased the picture and redrew the picture of dawn. Then next to that, she put the picture of noon, and next to that she made a new picture. She drew the horizon and above it drew a moon, indicating it by making a quarter moon hoping that would make it more apparent what she was talking about. Then she wrote 'Dawn/Morning', 'Noon/Midday', and 'Night' next to their respective pictures.

"Dawn," Renesmee said, pointing at the picture. "Also called Morning," she said simply.

"Dawn," Jacob repeated. "Morning," he went on. When Renesmee smiled, he knew he'd said the correct words. When he realized what she'd done, he decided to return the favor. _"Morning,"_ Jacob said, pointing at the picture.

"_Morning,"_ Renesmee repeated.

"Good," Jacob said kindly. Then Renesmee pointed at the second picture.

"Noon," Renesmee said. "Also called Midday."

"Noon," Jacob repeated, "or Midday."

"Very good," Renesmee said. Then Jacob pointed at the same picture.

"_Midday,"_ Jacob said.

"_Midday,"_ Renesmee repeated.

"Very good," Jacob replied. Then finally, Renesmee pointed at the last picture.

"Night," Renesmee said.

"Night," Jacob repeated, then said, _"Night."_

"_Night,"_ Renesmee repeated. After that, she went back to the first picture and listed the times of day again. "Dawn or Morning," Renesmee said. _"Morning,"_ she finished.

"Dawn or morning," Jacob repeated.

"Noon or Midday," she began and ended with, _"Midday."_

"Noon or Midday," he repeated.

"Night," Renesmee finished, _"Night."_

"Night," Jacob said. After that, Jacob pointed to the words Renesmee had spelled out. "What is this?"

"The words I just taught you," Renesmee said. "Dawn, D-A-W-N," Renesmee spelled out.

"D-A-W-N?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah," Renesmee said. "That's how you spell Dawn."

"What is 'spell'," Jacob asked. Renesmee realized then that Jacob wouldn't know what spelling is. As far as she could tell, there was no written language among the tribe.

"I guess I should've realized you wouldn't know what I'm talking about," Renesmee said.

"I'm willing to learn," Jacob managed an answer based on what little of her sentence he fully understood.

"Let's start with teaching you to speak," Renesmee said with a gentle smile and Jacob smiled back. Maybe she wasn't planning to run after all. Maybe he'd misunderstood the conversation she'd had with Caevia. He'd understood so little, so it was fully possible. Despite any tiredness, Jacob stayed awake and got Renesmee to teach him as much English as she could while he taught her as much Quileute as he could.

Caevia popped in just after midday to check on Renesmee and tell her what she'd been doing all day. She'd been fitted for the ceremonial dress and she'd been helping some women in the village look for potatoes to serve at the wedding and for her and Embry to have.

"I found out Sara is acting as my mother for the wedding," Caevia said after telling Renesmee about the dress fitting.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'll be at her tent all day waiting to get married and she'll be the one sewing me into the dress. I wondered if I could get you to help me with that. It's supposed to be something the bride's family does and you're the closest I have to family."

"And all I have to do is sew you into a dress?"

"Yeah, that's all you have to do."

"Then I would be happy to," Renesmee agreed with a smile and the two shared a tight hug.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The following day, the tribe spoke of and worked on nothing besides the wedding. Renesmee was happy to see it. Caevia deserved all this happiness more than anyone and it was nice to see so many working so hard to make this the best day of her life. She had to admit she admired how much value the tribe seemed to place on marriage and weddings. Caevia was already at William's and Sara's tent prepared to be sewed into her dress, but there was one thing Renesmee felt like she needed to do before anything else that day. Renesmee requested that Jacob take her to Leah's and Seth's tent so she could speak with Leah personally. The two may never have liked each other, but she felt terrible about what happened and she didn't want to leave their already tumultuous relationship like that. It took a few times for Jacob to completely understand what Renesmee was asking him, but he eventually, though reluctantly, agreed to take Renesmee to see Leah so they could talk. Jacob told them to open the small door when they got there and Seth was the one to answer.

"Seth," Renesmee started when Seth opened the door. "May I speak with Leah?"

"Get her away from me!" Leah yelled from inside the tent. Seth shrugged.

"I guess not," Seth answered.

"Please, Seth," Renesmee continued. "I want to apologize for what happened."

"I said get her away from me!" Leah yelled again from inside. This time, Renesmee gently pushed Seth aside and let herself in. When she came in, Leah grabbed a knife from one side of the tent and held it out in front of her, forcing Renesmee to keep a good distance. "Get out," Leah said.

"Leah, I just want to apologize for what happened. I know I scared you, but I really didn't mean it. I was so thirsty that I just lost control of myself when things started to get heated."

"Fine, now get out," Leah answered. Renesmee didn't leave, though. "If you expect either forgiveness or an apology from me, then you're out of your fucking mind!"

"I don't expect anything, Leah."

"You listen here you highbrow blood sucking cunt," Leah began again, "if there's anything my father taught me, it was how to cuss, shoot a gun and use a knife! Now get out!"

"He certainly did," Renesmee mumbled, getting ready to leave. At least she tried.

"Don't judge me," Leah said.

"Only if you don't judge me. I'm sorry you and Seth had to go through whatever happened to you, but I'm not the one responsible. From the sound of it, the only one at fault is your father so I suggest you take the matter up with him if you're still so upset."

"I already did," Leah said darkly.

"Then drop it," Renesmee answered in a harsh tone.

"Don't you tell me to drop anything."

"Leah," Seth stepped in, "can we just agree to disagree and let that be the end of it?"

"Fine, agreed. Now get out," Leah said. Again, at least Renesmee tried. She left with Jacob and the two made their way to William's and Sara's tent where Caevia was.

"Sorry about her," Jacob said suddenly which had Renesmee looking at him surprised. "She can be…_stubborn._ What is the word for…hard people?" Jacob attempted and Renesmee smiled.

"I think you mean 'stubborn'," Renesmee answered. _"Stubborn_ was the Quileute word you said?"

"Yes," Jacob answered.

"I'm impressed you understood mine and Leah's conversation," Renesmee went on.

"I understood enough," Jacob answered.

"You really are coming a long way, Jacob. You'll be fluent before you know it."

"I don't understand," Jacob said. What he'd understood wasn't enough.

"You're doing well," Renesmee clarified. "Your English is improving."

"Improving?"

"Getting better," Renesmee rephrased. "You're doing good," Renesmee rephrased again just to be safe.

"Thank you," Jacob said with a smile. "You make easy practice."

"'You make it easy to practice,'" Renesmee corrected.

"You make it easy to practice," Jacob repeated.

"Very good," Renesmee praised. They arrived at William's and Sara's tent and let themselves in. Renesmee noticed how uncomfortable Sara looked when she entered compared to how she usually seemed. That really upset her. _"Hello Sara," _Renesmee said, then looked at Jacob. "Did I say that right?"

"Yes," Jacob answered. _"Caevia asked Renesmee to help sew the dress."_

"_That doesn't go against tradition right? In my tribe, it was the family of the bride and I do consider her family,"_ Caevia stepped.

"_No, it doesn't go against tradition. I'll continue on this side, you do that side. You, off with you. You should know better than to be in a tent with a bride that isn't yours."_ Jacob smiled at his mother and said goodbye to Renesmee before stepping out.

"She told you to do this side," Caevia said, pointing to her left, once Jacob had gone. Renesmee kneeled to Caevia's left and started sewing with the needle and thread Sara had given her.

"Is she upset with me? Or is she scared of me?" Renesmee wasn't sure which would upset her more.

"Both," Caevia answered honestly. "She's been comforting Leah this whole time. That aside, though, Leah is Sara's niece. From what she tells me, she took those two in when they came running here from Forks after their father had killed their mom and Leah had shot her father."

"Good Lord," Renesmee mumbled. "No wonder she's so racist." Caevia laughed a little.

"Indeed," she confirmed. "Anyway, Leah's mom Uileila was Sara's little sister. So when Leah and Seth came here with nowhere else to go, she took them in as her own."

"Oh God," Renesmee mumbled, a little disgusted with herself. "I tried apologizing to Leah, but she wasn't very receptive. I can't say I can blame her."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Caevia said. "I want you to enjoy this day with me, so don't think about any of that."

"Can you at least help me tell Sara I'm really sorry about what happened?"

"Sure," Caevia said. She looked at Sara, who was completely focused on the dress and was close to being done. _"Sara,"_ Caevia said to get her attention. _"Renesmee says she's extremely sorry for what happened with Leah the other day. She never intended to hurt her and Renesmee just allowed herself to go too long without feeding. It'll never happen again."_

"_I can't be sure of that,"_ Sara mumbled. Then she thought a moment and sighed. _"I can't stay angry at her. I know she's being sincere."_

"_She really is. And I can guarantee this will never happen again beyond a reasonable doubt,"_ Caevia said knowingly despite Renesmee not understanding her.

"_She needs to stay away from Leah for now, though. Maybe one day Renesmee and Leah can learn to like each other, but that day won't be any time soon. Just let Renesmee know that this doesn't change my opinion of her where my son is concerned. He imprinted on her for a reason, so I must trust that. If Jacob loves her, then so do I."_

"_Yeah,"_ Caevia mumbled to herself, feeling a little bad. Rather than bring all that up to Renesmee, she just kept her comment simple. "She says she forgives you but Leah won't any time soon."

"I don't need Leah to forgive me," Renesmee answered. "Her forgiveness won't do a thing in the long run. She'll forget me when I leave just like everyone else will."

"Forget is a strong word," Caevia said reassuringly. "I would feel remise if I didn't attempt to ask you to stay. Where would I be without you?"

"You don't need me anymore," Renesmee said. "Embry's more to you than I could ever be."

"You underestimate how highly I think of you," Caevia said. "You're the closest to a sister I've ever had."

"You're the closest to a sister I could ever hope for too. But either way, I need to go home. I'm a married woman. Peter's certainly worried about me."

"What does it matter at this point? They certainly assume we're dead by now."

"I still need to go back. I made a commitment to Peter and he deserves for me to fulfill that for as long as I can."

"Renesmee, think about how you just said that. You're talking about a marriage the way I would expect you to talk about a school assignment. That's not what marriage is supposed to be."

"You know how I feel about all this, Caevia. We've been over it more times than I think either of us have wanted to go over it. I chose to marry Peter and I'm choosing to go back to him and be his wife like I promised to be." Rather than argue and ruin the moment, Caevia smiled and asked Renesmee to continue sewing her side of the dress.

Further south from the tribe, far from the mountains and not quite reaching the Pacific, Sgt. Lovejoy and his men coupled with Peter had just finished a sweep of two tribes near the tiny town of Elma and their search had come up frustratingly short yet again. Renesmee wasn't there, no one in the tribe recognized her when shown her picture, even upon employment of more severe methods of questioning, and no one had the faintest idea where she could be and who could have her, again, even upon more severe methods of questioning. No one in Elma recognized her either, though Sgt. Lovejoy wasn't too keen to trust the good people of Elma.

Naturally, the trip from Olympia to Elma had been very long going by horse and going around the large forest, so Sgt. Lovejoy saw it best to ask to take shelter there until the next day. However, upon arriving at a General Store that seconded as an inn, Lovejoy asked if he and his men could take shelter for the night and the keeper flatly refused. Sgt. Lovejoy thought the reaction strange until he saw a small boy working in the back that was undoubtedly Indian. The General Store owner, whether it be due to ill-fated friendship or worse yet a family bond with the heathens, was an Indian sympathizer and was certainly unhappy to hear of the rather harsh methods Sgt. Lovejoy saw fit to implement in order to get the information he needed. At the present time, Sgt. Lovejoy and his men were leaving the town hoping there might be another town nearby, otherwise they would have to set up camp and sleep outside. Such a thing was dangerous to do in a land riddled with Indians.

"It's getting dark, Sgt. Lovejoy," a young soldier announced as the sun began to wane into the horizon.

"So it is," Sgt. Lovejoy replied. "There's no use in complaining. We set up camp here for the night. Harrison and Mitchell, I want the two of you to see about finding some rabbits we can have for dinner."

"Yes, sir," both men saluted and proceeded into the trees with their guns drawn and ready to fire at the first sign of a careless hair.

"Hand me an apple," Sgt. Lovejoy said to Peter without ever looking in his direction.

"I should start charging you for these," Peter mumbled as he took an apple out of his bag and handed it to the Sergeant.

"Finding your wife is payment enough I would think."

"You haven't found her yet!" Peter yelled. "We're still searching for her!" Peter held his head down about to cry. "Whoever's taken her may have killed her by now."

"Now, now, don't cry," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "She's a pretty young thing, so I'm sure she'll be just fine. They may be savages but even savages appreciate a pretty face."

"How can you say something like that to me?" Peter yelled as they both dismounted and started setting up camp. "My wife is out there scared probably thinking no one's coming to help her and you're telling me I should be comforted by Indians likely preferring to rape my wife rather than kill her?!"

"She'll be alive, Mr. Wallis," Sgt. Lovejoy retorted. "In these situations, that's usually the best you can ask for. If you wanted me to save her before she got so much as a scratch on her, then I'm afraid you've asked for the wrong man to help you. If you want me to help you get your wife home dead or alive, then I can help you."

"Harrison and I got a rabbit, sir," Mitchell interrupted as he held up a large bunny.

"Good," Sgt. Lovejoy exclaimed. "Calm yourself and we'll eat some dinner Mr. Wallis. Stomping your feet and yelling won't save your wife now. If you want your wife back, you'll have to trust my judgment and do as I say, otherwise you can go back to Olympia and wait with her family like I had advised you to do."

"Sitting at home waiting would do nothing to save my wife," Peter said.

"Tagging along without a clue isn't helping her either, but it's too late for that now. Harrison, get a fire started so we can cook that rabbit. Hand out some apples too Mr. Wallis."

With a sneer on his face, Peter reached into his pack and started handing out more apples. It was a good thing he'd brought so many, but the way Lovejoy and his soldiers were plowing through those apples, they wouldn't last them much longer. Perhaps there would be apple trees to pick fruit off of along the way. One could only hope. Harrison butchered and cleaned the rabbit following building the fire and they shared the rabbit among themselves once the hair was cooked. After that, they were all ordered to get some sleep before they continued on to Aberdeen tomorrow. From there, it would be Hoquiam.

Back at the village, the new moon filled the night sky, barely visible. This was the first time since they incident that Renesmee was really incorporated into any village activity and she could tell the tribe wasn't thrilled with her presence. Some stared daggers at her while others avoided looking at her altogether. Renesmee looked at Jacob, who was sitting next to her, to see if he noticed but he was more focused on the ceremony. Embry and Caevia were seated next to each other right in front of the wood that was set up for the pyre. Across from them was Sokajili doing the necessary chants and throwing the right herbs into the pile of wood for when Embry and Caevia lit the fire. When they did, the flames shot up into the sky announcing their marriage and the tribe cheered for them. Following that, five women performed the fertility dance this time. Renesmee saw the same women from before with their sons, who were still babies, and one more woman who'd had a baby boy not too long ago. With the end of the dance came the rest of the celebration where everyone danced and feasted together. Jacob attempted to get Renesmee to dance with him, but Renesmee insisted she didn't want to. She knew she wasn't welcomed and she didn't want to push it.

"Just one dance," Jacob attempted to ask one last time, but Renesmee shook her head.

"It would upset everyone," Renesmee insisted.

"I've spoken with them," Jacob went on. "They accept you in time," Jacob said. Renesmee shook her head and didn't bother to correct his English.

"No, they won't," Renesmee said. "You can't order people not to be scared."

Jacob was demoralized by how uncomfortable Renesmee clearly was. He wasn't sure what more he could do about it. It seemed no one was doing what he and his father had told them to do and it was irritating him. Perhaps she wasn't embracing the tribe yet, but given time Jacob hoped she would. With that, he hoped she would love him as he loved her. That would mean Renesmee would be his wife. Even now when Jacob wasn't the chief yet, that would still give Renesmee a great deal of power in the tribe. They needed to accept her now and embrace her as one of them.

"It will change," Jacob promised, but Renesmee said nothing. It didn't matter what she said.

She looked at him and saw the determination that showed in his eyes and she couldn't help but think about daddy. Granted, daddy was far more rational about it but he was a bit bullheaded too. She tried not to allow herself to compare Jacob and her daddy. If she did, she might love him more. There really was no point in her denying that in the month or so that she's been here Jacob really grew on her. He was trying so hard to communicate with her and she admired his determination and strong will. Had things been different and she and Jacob had met in a different way, she could picture her daddy really liking him.

Embry and Caevia twirled several times around the fire for their first dance and Renesmee smiled whenever she looked at them. It was certainly warmer next to the fire than it was where Renesmee and Jacob were sitting. Despite her higher body temperature, even she could feel the chill of fall. It would be winter before long. She remembered how unreasonable the winters were in Chicago. She could only imagine the same could be said for Washington's winters, especially since the tribe is so close to the water just like back home. At one point, Caevia looked in Renesmee's direction, then appeared to say something to Embry. Afterwards, she came to Renesmee and kneeled down.

"Since you won't dance with Jacob, how about you and I dance?" Despite the smile on her face and her chipper tone, Renesmee could tell what Caevia really wanted to talk about, so Renesmee nodded.

"Okay," Renesmee answered. She didn't look at Jacob, who was undoubtedly extremely confused why she would agree to dance with Caevia and not him. Embry sat down with Jacob in Renesmee's place. Jacob and Embry watched as Caevia and Renesmee danced together and people moved away so as to avoid Renesmee. The site had Jacob's skin crawling.

"_Stop being so sad,"_ Embry said after a bit. _"You're supposed to be happy for me on my wedding day."_

"_I am happy for you,"_ Jacob defended. _"I'm just upset everyone's treating Renesmee this way."_

"_It's not going to happen overnight Jacob. I'm sorry but you'll just have to be patient."_ Jacob looked up at Renesmee and saw that she and Caevia were no longer dancing together. They seemed to be engaged in a rather emotional and serious conversation.

"_It's been longer than overnight. It's been three days."_

"_That's still a bit too soon, Jacob."_ Embry stopped to think about something and the thought that came to his head made him smile. _"Do you remember what my mother used to tell all of us when we were little? Do you remember how you used to complain when something wasn't growing fast enough or the salmon hadn't swam upstream yet?"_

"'_Don't be so impatient,'"_ Jacob smiled at the thought. _"'The tastiest fish come to those that wait and the best potatoes come when they're good and ready.'"_

"'_Always remember the strongest mountain took years to earn his name and by virtue all great things must earn their own,'"_ Embry finished the saying. Embry let a tear go and brushed it away.

"_I miss her too,"_ Jacob said, patting Embry's back. _"Your mom would've loved Caevia."_

"_I know she would've,"_ Embry smiled. _"Are you and Quil still going on patrol tonight?"_

"_Yes,"_ Jacob answered. _"Last night, we found a sweet smell and we need to make sure it stays away."_

"_Do you need me to come?"_

"_No,"_ Jacob laughed a little. _"You focus on more important things."_

"_More important indeed,"_ Embry replied and the two of them laughed together. _"The sooner she's pregnant, the better. She wants a baby so badly."_

"_She certainly deserves one from what you've told us. Give it a good Quileute name."_

"_She might want to give our child a more traditional name from her tribe."_

"_If the similarity in language in any indicator, their names are probably the same as ours. You shouldn't have trouble agreeing on something nice."_While Embry and Jacob were talking, Caevia and Renesmee were having a conversation of their own. It started simple when Caevia took Renesmee with her to the pyre so they could dance. Both ignored how the other people immediately distanced themselves from Renesmee.

"Can you believe I'm married now?" Caevia asked to start.

"I'm happy you found someone that deserves you. I can't say how you two met was what I had in mind," Renesmee joked and the two laughed as they continued to dance around the fire. "I think you'll be happiest here."

"It's the happiest I've been in a long time. I'll be happier once Embry and I have children."

"I know you will be. Perhaps one day I'll meet them," Renesmee said and that's when the two stopped in their tracks and people continued to dance around the fire.

"I knew you were planning to but," Caevia started and tried breathing deeply. "I guess it's becoming more real to me and I don't really like it. I can't even think of a time we've been separated since I came to be under your family's roof."

"I can't either. You were even with us when we went to the Fair." Caevia shuddered.

"Aside from the obvious serial killer issue, it was a really nice trip."

"Oh come on," Renesmee smiled, "We would never have known about that if it hadn't been in the paper a few weeks later. Besides, he only said hello to us."

"Yes, but what if he'd offered us a place to stay or something? Then we'd end up in his basement in a furnace after getting a tour of his lovely little house of horrors."

"Well we didn't, so don't worry about it so much," Renesmee said, still smiling. "Honestly, you're worse than daddy sometimes."

"Whatever, we're veering off topic." Caevia took another deep breath and looked at Renesmee seriously. "I don't know what's compelling me to do so, but I really do want you to stay. I know I've been the one working so hard to get us out of here before, but now it seems wrong to leave. It seems wrong for both of us."

"You can stay, Caevia. You'll be happy. You're married now. Everyone has accepted you. I'm not wanted here and I have a husband to go home to. I was taken here. I never asked to be forced here only for me to be scorned first for my race and then for my lineage. Even if I wanted to stay, it's for the best that I leave."

"I suppose you're right," Caevia said, decided to not bother bringing up Jacob. She understood imprinting a lot more now. What Embry felt for her was certainly what Jacob felt for Renesmee. It seemed wrong to leave him, but she knew that if Renesmee really felt the same way about Jacob that Caevia did about Embry, she wouldn't be able to leave. She might start to, but something would stop her. Only time would tell now.

"Perhaps I'll check up on you some day," Renesmee said.

"I'd be heartbroken if you didn't," Caevia said. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight when Jacob's gone and when everyone's asleep. I'll spirit away like dust in the wind. It'll be like I was never here."

"I really will miss you, Renesmee," Caevia said. "Let your family know I'll miss them too."

"I will," Renesmee assured. Then she and Caevia shared a big hug and eventually returned to dancing around the fire so they could have a proper goodbye.

Eventually, Embry stepped in to let Caevia know it was time they went back to his tent. Caevia had already been explained this, but Embry told her again that for three days, they were to be left completely alone with their food offerings and with some ample alone time. Before going with him, Caevia gave Renesmee one final hug. As she and Embry walked away, Embry couldn't help but notice how sad she'd looked, but he avoided bringing it up until they were alone in his tent. Their tent now.

"_So what were you and Renesmee talking about earlier?"_

"_I'd really rather not say,"_Caevia said.

"_Caevia, you don't have to be secretive with me, especially not now."_

"_I'm not being secretive,"_Caevia said, but then she sighed. _"Renesmee told me she's planning to leave when Jacob is out tonight and everyone's asleep."_

"_She's still planning to leave?"_

"_She's not happy, Embry,"_ Caevia said bluntly. _"There are three people she can talk to. Seth is usually with Jacob and Leah's hardly one for conversation, so she's just left with me."_

"_Jacob's learning her language. Like you've said, he's getting much better."_

"_Perhaps, but that's still too few people. And even if she understood our language, she's never really been accepted among your people."_

"_Our people,"_Embry jumped in to correct.

"_Alright, our people. But she's not accepted and that really hurts her. She's used to people just liking her and the culture shock mixed with everyone having such a distrust for her is too much. No matter what she feels for Jacob, this isn't where she belongs. No one's making an effort to make her feel like she belongs at least and I can't pretend their disdain isn't unfounded after what happened with Leah. She knows that and she feels horrible about what happened. Leah pushing down her apology the way she did hasn't helped either."_

"_She just needs to give everyone time,"_Embry argued on behalf of Jacob.

"_Time won't change that everyone's scared of her. Fear never translates to love and acceptance."_

"_Jacob will still go after her,"_ Embry stated after a moment of silence. _"He's rationalized that he'd let her go, but it wouldn't last. He'd go after her because something deep down is telling him Renesmee needs him."_

"_Then that's what'll happen,"_ Caevia said. _"I didn't want to talk about this, least of all now."_

"_I know,"_ Embry said. He scooted over to Caevia and held her tightly in his arms. From there, Embry just focused on Caevia. Jacob would have to deal with it the way he saw fit. Embry telling him Renesmee's plan wouldn't likely change anything. Undoubtedly, Jacob already suspected it was coming.

After Embry and Caevia left, the party dispersed and went back to their own tents after doing some clean up. Jacob took Renesmee right back to his tent and when they got inside, Renesmee went right to the corner where the blanket was.

"I leave for the night," Jacob eventually said.

"Okay," Renesmee said as she laid down. She expected Jacob to leave right then and there, but he didn't. She heard him stand and she watched him cover the hole at the top of the teepee. Renesmee could only think to call it a sunroof. "What are you doing?"

"It will rain," Jacob said. "It feels like hard rain."

"Oh," Renesmee said. She hadn't anticipated it raining. She'd have to try and get to Forks before it did. "Will you be alright out there when it's raining? It's been getting really cold out."

"Alright," Jacob said initially. _"I'll be alright,"_ Jacob rephrased. He knew he'd taught Renesmee how to say that. "My body warm, I resist outside."

"Oh," Renesmee said, though she wasn't entirely convinced. She had noticed Jacob had a higher body temperature, but she did too and even she couldn't stand the cold if it got bad enough. "Maybe you shouldn't go tonight anyway," Renesmee said. It would mean leaving a little later, but she could run once Jacob was asleep. She knew he was a heavy sleeper. "Vampires don't like hunting when it's raining outside. It throws off the scent of prey."

"I don't understand," Jacob said.

"_Cold one,"_ Renesmee began after thinking a moment, scrounging up relevant words that she knew. _"No outside,"_ she couldn't think of the word for rain, so she took both her hands and placed them above her. She wiggled her fingers as she moved her hands down, trying to indicate rain. "Rain," she said for affirmation.

"_Cold ones don't hunt in the rain?"_ Jacob asked. "Cold ones, hunt rain, no," Jacob said in English.

"Cold ones don't hunt in the rain," Renesmee said.

"Cold ones don't hunt in the rain," Jacob repeated. "You used other word," Jacob said.

"Vampire," Renesmee said. "English_word of cold one,"_ she managed.

"Vampire don't hunt in the rain," Jacob said.

"Vampires," Renesmee corrected. "Plural."

"What plural?"

"It means more than one." Jacob nodded letting her knew he understood what she was saying now. Now he just had to tell her the contrary as best he could.

"Cold ones hunt in rain. We've seen them," Jacob said.

"They're traveling more likely," Renesmee said.

"Traveling?"

"Moving from place to place," Renesmee clarified. "You really are doing very well," she said.

"Thank you," Jacob smiled. "I see you in the morning," Jacob said before walking out. Renesmee didn't answer before he left. That smile he gave her before he left had her feeling sick to her stomach now. She took a deep breath and braced herself, though, and found ways to keep herself occupied until it was late enough that no one would see her leave.

As time passed, Renesmee didn't hear any rain. Maybe Jacob had been wrong about it. She couldn't say how late it was when she decided it was time to leave, but she could tell the moon was beginning to set though not low enough for the sun to start peeking through. Before Renesmee left, she took off her heavier dress and left herself only in her slip, knickers and loosened corset. Her first thought was to do so because the dress would weigh her down when she ran. Though part of her decided to leave it so that Jacob would always have something of her, even if it was only a dress. It made her feel a little better. Her mood had soured more and more the sooner it came to her time to leave. Taking off the dress and leaving it on Jacob's blanket had her nearly ready to collapse from dizziness, but she soldiered through it. Upon taking off her dress, Renesmee poked her head out of the tent to make sure there was no one around or watching. When she was sure she was clear, she stepped out quietly and began to make her way to the woods in the direction Leah had shown her and Caevia. When Leah had taken them, they'd walked and the trip took forever. Hours even. Now that she was free to run, she could probably make it there in much less time. When she was sure she was safe to, she began running. She was nowhere near as fast as her parents, but she was faster than most and she could go longer than most too.

It was freezing outside and she could feel it. She was more concerned it might snow rather than rain. Leaves crunched beneath her feet so audibly she feared they could be heard for miles, but she kept running. Thirty minutes into her run to town, the first flake of snow fell. Turns out she'd been right about it being too cold to rain. She took no notice of them, though. Instead she focused on running and began thinking of any excuse for her sudden appearance and state of undress that would explain her presence without damning Jacob or the others. She settled on a hoax story of how bandits had forced themselves into her house and taken her and Caevia away and only now had she been able to escape with her life. Caevia, sadly, had not been so lucky and was killed by the bandits when they tried to fight back. With a nod to herself, Renesmee settled on that story. It was perfectly believable and it would leave the Quileutes out of the equation completely. They could all start looking for ghost bandits for all she cared. She could tell them they were likely hiding in the mountains or something. The closer Renesmee got to Forks, however, the slower she began to run. She hadn't noticed initially, but eventually she noticed that she was going from running at a reasonable pace to what could be described as a crawl. The snow had intensified and it was getting really windy. Perhaps the cold was slowing her down.

Her shoes had begun wearing out since she'd been taken to the tribe and there were small holes in both. She felt the cold in her feet and it began to sting the further she went. She was walking the last part of her trip before she knew it, holding herself, trying to stay warm as best she could. It made the rest of the trip take much longer. Her ears were throbbing, her nipples hardened painfully, excruciatingly even, her toes hurt, the tips of her fingers hurt, and she was shivering uncontrollably. At one point she realized she'd stopped moving entirely because she was shaking so much. She continued on when she realized she'd stopped and attempted to run, but her feet wouldn't let her run. She was too cold to run. Through the treetops, Renesmee was beginning to see the slightest color indication that the sun was coming up. The trip had taken much longer than she'd anticipated. She did eventually reach the edge of the woods right outside the entrance of the town. It had looked just the way it did when she and Caevia had been shown the way here by Leah. From there, she couldn't go forward. She was so cold and she just couldn't do it. Then she realized she was crying a little. She hadn't been able to go before either. Something was stopping her. Eventually, she just collapsed as she cried.

Earlier, Jacob and Quil were running outside the perimeters of the tribe scouting for any of the smell they'd found before. It seemed it had long since moved on and no other smell followed it. While Jacob was running around though, once scent caught his full attention and he began to panic. His first thought was to assume she really had decided to run away on her own after all. Then he thought that perhaps she was just hunting. Jacob told Quil to keep circling the village while he followed Renesmee's smell to make sure she was okay. He hoped it was a simple matter of her hunting. He'd have to ask her not to do that without him. He wasn't sure how able bodied being half cold one made her, but he wasn't willing to find out if she could stand up to a cold one or not. However, if she'd really decided she was going to go back, he'd follow her until he was sure she was home safely. He wanted to make sure of that much. He knew he'd go back and go back often, but if she really wasn't happy with him, he'd accept it with his head down and at a reasonable distance. Jacob kept following the smell and his heart dropped further and further the closer it was getting to Forks. The smell was fresh and he could hear the faintest footsteps up ahead. He noticed how cold it got and the snow only made it worse. He'd been close at least. As he continued to follow her smell, he smelled something strange and he held his head in the air sniffing the wind that blew in his direction. It smelled like her, but something strange and salty. When he heard a loud thump, that's when he started running as fast as he could. He reached Renesmee in seconds and he found her laying on the ground shivering violently without her dress, only a much thinner dress that was less suited for the weather at hand.

Jacob released a resounding bark as he approached her. She jumped at the sound of his bark as if she'd been asleep or dozed off. Jacob changed back to human once he was next to her and without warning, she grabbed onto him. She was freezing to the touch and he wrapped his arms around her desperate to warm her. Then Jacob began to overhear people talking as they turned on their lights. He looked towards the town, then down at Renesmee as she clung to him. He didn't have time to consider whether to take her to town or not. If she really wanted to go, he would take her himself, but for now he needed to get her back to the village and to Sokajili. He'd know what to do.

Jacob lifted Renesmee up as he stood and cradled her from the cold as best he could, and then he ran as fast as he could back to the village. At his speed, he got there in minutes. Upon arriving at the village, Jacob ran straight to Sokajili's tent and broke the locking string as he barged in. When Sokajili awoke from the noise, it was violent and sudden.

"_What!"_ Sokajili yelled over and over until he was upright and saw Renesmee in Jacob's arms. The girl looked paler than usual and her undergarments were wet and covered in dirt. _"What happened?"_

"_I found her outside Forks on the ground. She was just lying there and she's freezing!"_

"_Calm down and put her there,"_ Sokajili said, indicating the medical bed on the other side of his tent. Jacob rested Renesmee on the blanket and stepped back when Sokajili approached. He felt her cheeks and felt how cold she was. Upon further examination, he could find nothing else wrong, but she was a hair away from succumbing to the cold. He wouldn't imagine such a thing possible given her heritage, but it appeared he was wrong. _"She needs to be warmed up. Get this ridiculous thing off her and cradle her. Her dress is wet, it'll only keep her cold. I'll make a warming tea for her to drink."_ Sokajili turned to his corner where his herbs were and prepared the necessary herbs. Then he lit a fire so he could heat some fresh water in a pot to steep them. In the meantime, Jacob did as Sokajili instructed and removed Renesmee's wet garments.

He started with a tight thing that had string in the back. He tried untying it, but it was taking way too long, so he just ripped it off her and tossed it behind him. The rest of the garments came off much easier and he threw those behind him like he did with the other, tighter thing. When her clothes were gone, he immediately laid down on the blanket with her and held her to his chest. He wasn't sure if she was awake anymore or not, but she did desperately place her hands between hers and Jacob's chests and it made him flinch how cold she was. Her feet were cold against his own as well, but he kept her feet wrapped between his and he grabbed another blanket and placed atop the both of them. She was still shivering, but not as violently. Jacob covered part of her face with his own hoping she'd be able to warm her nose with her breathing. It felt like it took forever, but Sokajili eventually completed the warming tea and told Jacob to hold Renesmee up so they could give it to her. Jacob maneuvered the blanket as he sat up so he and Renesmee were still under the blanket keeping as much of her covered from the cold as possible.

"_Renesmee,"_ Sokajili began. _"Are you awake?"_

"Are you awake?" Jacob asked Renesmee so she'd be sure to understand. She shivered and moaned a little but managed to open her eyes.

"_Tell her to drink this so we can warm her up,"_ Sokajili told Jacob.

"Renesmee, drink that," Jacob repeated to Renesmee. She didn't answer, but Sokajili brought the drink near her lips anyway. He'd made sure already that it wasn't too hot to drink. In her daze, Renesmee tried to drink, but the taste was vile. It was unbearably bitter and smelled like perfume. She pulled her lips away and a little spilled on her chest. At first it wasn't so bad, but then the chill made it cold. "Please drink it," Jacob asked, but she shook her head.

"_Hold on, I'll mash some apples so it'll be sweeter."_ Sokajili took the cup with him while he went to another corner and grabbed an apple, but then he stopped. _"Does she eat apples?"_

"Renesmee," Jacob said, "Sokajili ask if you like apple….apples," he corrected himself after a moment.

"No," Renesmee mumbled.

"_No, she doesn't like apples."_

"_Then she'll have to drink it as is. I'm not going to hunt down a deer and put blood in here for her."_ He came back over and tried giving the drink to Renesmee again. _"Tell her there's only a little left."_

"Only small amount left," Jacob managed. "Please drink," he pleaded. Jacob maneuvered the blanket again so he could release his left arm from under it. He kept the blanket around them with his right hand and took the cup from Sokajili. _"I'll give it to her."_

"_Good. Once she drinks that, take her back to your tent. I can't let her take up the patient bed when all she suffers from is a chill."_

"_Yes, Uncle,"_ Jacob said. Sokajili went back to his own bed and tried going back to sleep while Jacob attempted to get Renesmee to drink the tea. "Please drink Renesmee. It make you feel better," Jacob pleaded again. There was no use in arguing, so Renesmee allowed Jacob to tilt the cup so she could drink the tea. When it was gone, Jacob put the cup next to the fire pit so he could wrap the blanket around her and carry her back to his tent.

It was still early, but a few people were already out of their tents and watched Jacob carry Renesmee back to his tent. Among the people that saw was Jacob's mother, who noticed from across the clearing while she was eating breakfast with a few other women. Unsure what else to do, she left the group she was in and went to Caevia's and Embry's tent. She patted on the leather door and asked for Caevia directly, who was still asleep with her head on Embry's chest.

"_Caevia, wake up. Jacob just took Renesmee out of Sokajili's tent. I think there might be something wrong."_ When she heard that, Caevia was suddenly wide awake and rushed around to find a dress to throw on before leaping from the tent and running after Jacob.

"_What did you do?"_ Caevia yelled at Jacob when she was right behind him.

"_I didn't do anything but bring her back when I found her collapsed outside Forks. She nearly froze to death!"_

_Renesmee!"_ Caevia yelled, ignoring Jacob altogether. She ran to his side and looked up at Renesmee and was horrified when she saw how out of it she looked. She looked like a ghost and her eyes seemed miles away.

"_She needs rest, so just leave her be. I'll take care of her."_

"_I'll leave after she wakes up and I can make sure she's alright."_

"_I'll come get you when she's awake, but for now just leave her alone."_ Jacob, admittedly, got a mild satisfaction in throwing Caevia's words right back at her, but he kept his face stern and continued on. Embry had caught up to them and asked Caevia to come back to their tent and let Jacob take care of Renesmee. Caevia did relent and she went back with Embry, but was sure to tell Jacob to inform her the minute Renesmee was awake. Jacob promised he would and walked into his tent. It was then that he saw Renesmee's dress on his blanket. She'd folded it up so nicely and he could tell it still smelled like her. He took that dress and put it to the side so Renesmee could lay on his blanket, still wrapped in the one he'd gotten from Sokajili.

Renesmee's eyes had been somewhat open until Jacob rested her down on his blanket. Her eyes closed when her head touched the ground and she didn't wake up for nearly three days. Jacob stayed with her the entire time. He had Quil go on patrol alone until it was officially past the three day grace period of Embry's and Caevia's wedding. He told them both to come get him if he was needed, but otherwise he would stay with Renesmee. Caevia popped in constantly to check on her. The more time past that Renesmee didn't wake up, the more frequent Caevia's visits became. It was late morning when Renesmee finally opened her eyes. Caevia had come to check on her just a half hour prior. Jacob was by her side carving at a piece of word. Renesmee noticed a few figurines scattered around him in various animal shapes. She could only imagine they were supposed to be toys. Renesmee didn't really move or make a sound to indicate she was awake, but the tilt of her head to look at the small toys was enough to catch Jacob's attention. He stopped what he was doing, put both the wood and knife aside and shifted so he was kneeling above her.

"_You're awake!"_ Jacob announced with a smile. Renesmee figured out what he must be saying and nodded.

"I'm awake," she said. "How long was I asleep?"

"Days," Jacob answered. "I found you near town. You were cold. I take you back for help."

"You 'took' me back," Renesmee corrected. "Past tense."

"Paste tense?"

"It's how a word changes to indicate something happened in the past. Take becomes took, have becomes had, and so on." Jacob smiled at her.

"You much better already," he said, his smile still broad.

"You are," Renesmee corrected. She finally sat up not realizing she was naked until the blanket fell and she felt the chill. She hurried to pull it up over her and blushed, but Jacob seemed completely unfazed.

"You are much better already," Jacob rephrased. "I was worried. When I found you, you were so cold."

"I felt that way," Renesmee said as she rubbed her arms. She looked at Jacob and realized he wasn't smiling anymore. "Thank you. I don't know how long I would've lasted if you hadn't come and saved me."

"I didn't understand all of last part," Jacob said.

"You helped me and I'm thankful," Renesmee rephrased. It seemed he still had trouble with long sentences.

"Next time," Jacob began, "when you want to leave, I'll take you. I don't want you alone." Saying that had Jacob looking even more somber. The look was making Renesmee upset too. She didn't like that look. She didn't like it when Jacob's strong features betrayed even the slightest look of sadness, terror and defeat. That was the best word she could think to describe the look on his face: defeat. A man like Jacob was far too proud ever sport such an unsuitable look.

"No," Renesmee finally mumbled.

"Please," Jacob insisted, "I don't want you out there alone again."

"No," Renesmee said, "I mean I'm not going to leave." Jacob looked up at her slowly, unsure.

"Please repeat," he said.

"I said I'm not leaving," she answered. "When I got to the town limits, I realized I couldn't go any further. My feet wouldn't let me."

"Why?" Jacob asked, hoping for the answer he wanted.

"I don't know," was all he got. "I'm tired of running. If this is my fate, then I'm resigned to it."

"I don't understand," Jacob said.

"I mean I'm accepting how I came to be here and will stay here." The two of them just stared at each other a while. Renesmee didn't want to talk about the matter anymore and Jacob didn't know what else to say or do.

"You were crying when I found you," Jacob finally said. "Why?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Probably because I was cold."

"You're not one to cry," Jacob said. Renesmee looked at him strangely.

"How would you know that?"

"You're too stubborn," Jacob answered simply. "You're very strong willed."

"I guess I have made that rather obvious thus far," Renesmee joked.

"Obvious thus far?"

"I mean my strong will and stubbornness are clear to see."

"Yes," Jacob nodded, "they are. Caevia is worse, though." Renesmee laughed. She simply couldn't help it. Jacob certainly wasn't wrong about Caevia. Jacob finally smiled again and began to laugh with her. When she had control of herself, she just stared at Jacob a moment. That smile just tugged at her heartstrings. There was a sparkle in his eyes that accompanied it whenever he was smiling at her. It was really beginning to weigh on her how much this man really did love her. "How do you feel?" Jacob asked suddenly.

"Much better," Renesmee answered. "Thank you for helping me."

"No need," Jacob said. Then he held his head down a moment lacking certainty, but he eventually asked his question. "You really stay?"

"Yes," Renesmee said. She realized she was smiling. "I'm really staying."

Jacob suddenly hugged her then. He pulled her to his chest and just hugged her. It took Renesmee so by surprise she wasn't positive it really happened at first. But Jacob held her close and tightly as if he would never let her go. It dawned on her that she wouldn't mind that. Yet she still couldn't fight the nagging guilt she felt. Loving Jacob meant she was betraying Peter. No matter what, she'd married him and had promised herself to him. Admitting any affection for Jacob would only make her feel more like a whore. The thought made her want to release Jacob, but she couldn't let go. Jacob, however, suddenly released her from their hug and looked at her strangely, his hands still on her shoulders.

"What you do?" Jacob asked.

Then Renesmee realized what she must have done. She'd promised daddy that once she was with Peter, she wouldn't use her power if only for her own sake. She'd spent weeks practicing, making sure never to pass any thoughts through touch and communicating only verbally. She'd practiced with Caevia and had gotten really good at it but it seemed that she'd relaxed with Jacob just enough to forget. She wasn't sure how to express her power in words, so she reverted to what she knew. She placed her hand on Jacob's wrist and demonstrated both by doing and showing examples of people she'd done all this to.

When she started, she realized she couldn't stop. It started with just showing her power and examples. Then she showed him memories of her childhood. She showed him the first time she'd met Caevia when she was a little girl. She showed him all her family members, especially her daddy. She showed him how he'd taught her how to play the piano and taught her French. She showed him all the places she'd lived, all the homes they'd stayed at, and especially Chicago. She showed him how she'd gotten frustrated and wanted freedom, when she decided to move west and marry Peter, when she and Peter met, and all consecutive memories that followed that, even the memory of their first night together. She showed him up to the point he'd barged into the house and taken her away. Renesmee finally took her hand away and Jacob continued to just stare at her.

"You showed me," Jacob stopped. He couldn't think of the right word. _"Memories,"_ Jacob started. "Things that happened before."

"Memories," Renesmee said. Above all, though, she'd shown him how she felt regarding Peter and feeling like she was betraying him.

"You're special," Jacob said sincerely. "I didn't realize how special you really are." Special. Renesmee thought about the choice of word. She'd always been called different, strange, odd, but never special by anyone but her daddy. He called her one of a kind. If Jacob knew that phrase, he would likely call her that. "What's wrong?" Jacob asked suddenly. Renesmee touched her face and noticed she was crying.

"Nothing," Renesmee said.

"You miss family?" Jacob asked. Renesmee nodded and she saw how upset that made Jacob. "There are lots of things I never considered," he finally said.

"It's just…." Renesmee stopped a moment as she got teary eyed again. "No one but my daddy has ever called me 'special'." Renesmee sniffled and tears were falling again.

Jacob embraced her again to comfort her and Renesmee embraced him back. She really did need it at the moment. She's was feeling so many things that she was overwhelmed. She missed her family, she was beginning to admit to herself how she felt about Jacob and how he clearly felt about her, guilt for betraying her marriage, terror from uncertainty, all this culminated and she couldn't help but cry. Jacob did make a little better just by holding her, holding her close and silently letting her know that he was there for her. And he really would be there for her. She didn't want to think how they would move forward from there for the time being. She just wanted him to comfort her, and that he did until Caevia let herself in yet again and ran right to Renesmee crying and asking if she was alright.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"I just got word back from Seattle," Sgt. Lovejoy said once he exited the small office of the inn they were staying at in Hoquiam. "So far, no one has gone to the authorities with any information but we have her description listed with all authorities throughout the state. If anyone sees her, they'll come forward."

"How will we know any of that? This is the first town to have a telegraph since we left Olympia," Peter said.

"I know Port Angeles has a telegraph. It'll just have to be a matter of check every town for a telegraph."

"Poor Renesmee," Peter mumbled to himself with teary eyes.

"This again?" Sgt. Lovejoy sighed and sat next to Peter at the table he sat at. "I can't have you keep doing this, Mr. Wallis."

"You don't know how it feels," Peter said back. "You don't know what it's like for your wife to be taken by Indians."

"I can imagine it feels terrible," Sgt. Lovejoy reached into his coat pocket and pulled out all his tools to build cigarettes. "Listen to me, Mr. Wallis," Sgt. Lovejoy began, "I've been doing this a long time. I've seen some terrible things dealing with these savages, things I've wished to never see. When you work in a business like that, you have to become a little thick skinned and thus far, your wife's case is nothing special. She's been kidnapped, we need to find her, very simple. So you'll have to excuse me if I'm not shedding a tear for your wife."

"You would if you knew her."

"Well it's a damn good thing I don't. I'd never get anything done if I cared a lick about the people I've been dispatched to rescue."

"You heartless bastard," Peter mumbled.

"And that's why I'm successful. I'll have plenty of opportunity to grow fond of your wife once we get her, but until then, she's an assignment and I'm doing my job. You, by the way, are not making my job any easier with your constant belly-aching. So have a cigarette and calm down." Sgt. Lovejoy offered Peter the completed cigarette and he took it with a grimace.

"We'll speak with the tribe outside of town tomorrow. With any luck, we'll find her there and we can have her home in another week and a half tops. Otherwise we'll have to make our way to Neilton. That's a day and a half trek if we're lucky."

"God Damn it," Harrison moaned. "I've never walked so damn much in my life."

"Don't whine, boy. Walking's good for you," Sgt. Lovejoy said as he took a puff of his fresh made cigarette. Then Mitchell came back with four glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

"This ought to calm you down," he said as he placed down the glasses. He filled each glass with whiskey and moved them in front of everyone. Peter took a hold of his glass, but while the others drank he only stared at the glass and swirled the liquid around inside.

"What happens if my wife turns up dead because we sat around drinking whiskey in a bar when we should've been looking for her?"

"If you don't want the damn whiskey, then you don't need to drink it," Mitchell said.

"If their plan was to kill her, they would've killed her a long time ago. So if she's dead when we get there, then there was nothing we could do. Mitchell's right: if you aren't going to drink your whiskey then give it to someone who will." With the same grimace on his face, Peter slid his glass across the table to Lovejoy, who caught and poured it into his own glass. He took a swig and released a contented refreshed sigh when he was done. "Thank you, sir."

"Eh," Peter responded morosely and rested his head on his forearms on the table.

"So Mitchell," Lovejoy said after another sip of his whiskey, "what did the bartender say about the local tribe?"

"He didn't really have much to say," Mitchell said. "The man drinking over there had more to say about them."

"And what did that man have to say?"

"He said they call themselves the Chichoweital tribe. They're a very small group of people, but all of them speak English for the most part. Evidently this town has a friendlier relationship with the tribe than Aberdeen. They're even invited to Thanksgiving every year at the town hall." Lovejoy laughed a little.

"Well isn't that darling," he said. "Do they get a turkey with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, brussel sprouts and sweet potato casserole?"

"Ick," Harrison shivered, "I hate brussel sprouts."

"You wouldn't if you had them the way my momma does them," Lovejoy smiled. "She bakes those suckers in butter and finishes them with sautéed pork belly. You haven't had brussel sprouts until you've tried Momma Lovejoy's."

"Can we get back to the topic of my wife's possible whereabouts please?!" Peter snapped suddenly. Everyone in the group looked at Peter like he'd needlessly ruined a good time. Lovejoy took a deep breath, another sip of whiskey, and waved his hand at Mitchell.

"Continue," he said.

"Well, anyway, while the guy at the bar doesn't necessarily know anyone from the tribe, he does know they're peaceful. I asked about the possibility that the tribe may have kidnapped Mrs. Wallis and he was skeptical."

"Why was he skeptical?"

"Well, according to him, no one in the tribe really leaves their reservation except to come to town and get a few things. Some tribesmen even work here in down and earn a wage of food and clothes."

"Do they?" Lovejoy asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. Specifically, there's a guy that works at the bakery here in town. He didn't know the guy's name, but he knew about the man."

"Well then," Lovejoy finished the remaining whiskey in one go. "Peter, you stay here and keep an eye on the whiskey while we go speak with this gentleman."

"No," Peter stood from his chair, "you're not leaving me out. Have one of them keep an eye on the damn whiskey!"

"Or we could finish it first," Harrison innocently offered.

"No, no, we can't be drunk when interrogating. It compromises one's intuition." Lovejoy stepped to the bar and spoke with the bartender momentarily. When he turned around, it was towards the door and he motioned for all three men to come follow him outside. "The bartender will look after our drinks. Did the man say where the bakery is?"

"On 11th Avenue across the bridge."

"Figures the bakery in on the other side of town," Sgt. Lovejoy rubbed his face. "Alright, let's get going."

"Do you even know where we're going?" Peter asked.

"We'll worry about getting directions once we're over the bridge," Lovejoy brushed off and continued out of the bar with Harrison and Mitchell following.

Actually getting over the bridge from the corner of Aberdeen Ave. and Jeffries St. was bad enough. All Lovejoy had known for sure was to go west on Aberdeen until they hit the water. From there, they had to ask a few people how to get to the bakery only to have people rave to them about it. They finally got a name from a few of them: Cory. No one knew the man's real name so they all called him Cory. He was an Indian of the previously mentioned Chichoweital tribe and was well known and well-liked by the townspeople for cooking some of the best sugar cookies in the world. By the time they arrived at the bakery, they knew Cory stayed on the reservation but worked in town, that he could bake bread as if he'd done so all his life, was the baker's prized employee (so much so that it was rumored the baker was even giving Cory money for his services) and that he was evidently a husband and father of three. Sgt. Lovejoy and the others let themselves into the shop and were greeted by a young girl with tight braids, dark brown hair, and a freckled face. She seemed to be very young.

"Good Morning!" she said in a chipper tone. "What can I get for you gentlemen? Some coffee and cookies maybe?"

"Actually, we were hoping we could speak with Cory. That is his name, correct? The Indian that works here?"

"I can check and see if he's available," the young girl said.

"Before you go, what is your name young lady?"

"Sherry, Officer," she answered and Lovejoy laughed.

"Sergeant, my dear."

"I'm sorry," she responded with her hands suddenly on her face.

"It's quite alright dear. Now please see about getting Cory out here to speak with us."

The young girl bowed her head a little and ran to the back where the kitchen was. They heard idle chit chat initially, taking up precious time as far as Peter was concerned. Eventually, Sherry did mention to Cory that there were men up front that wanted to speak with him. Sherry finally came out with Cory and went right back to her little register ready to greet anymore customers that came in. Cory was a tall man, but not much taller than Lovejoy. Aside from the obvious black hair, tan skin, and more prominent cheekbones, the man had very kind eyes and was even smiling a little.

"Sherry said you wanted to speak with me?" Cory said when he was out front.

"Yes we did," Lovejoy said. "My name is Sgt. Brandon D. Lovejoy. This is Pvt. Laurence Mitchell, Pvt. Luke Harrison and a Mr. Peter Wallis."

"And what can I do for you?"

"Well, Cory, we're on a bit of a hunt, a rescue mission really. Mr. Wallis here is married to a lovely woman named Renesmee."

"That's different," Cory said with a chuckle.

"You watch your mouth," Peter blurted out suddenly, causing Cory to take a step back.

"I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect."

"Don't worry about it, Cory," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "He's just a bit hostile given the situation. Just ignore him. Anyway, we've been looking for his wife all over and we're quite certain Indians took her."

"What makes you so certain it was Indians?"

"The way the house looked, the suddenness of the disappearance, and there are Indians all over the place here in Washington. Also, were it robbers or bandits, surely they would've taken something besides Mrs. Wallis and her slave. Yet that was all that was taken."

"There's no Renesmee at the reservation to my knowledge. We have people from here that go down there all the time, but no one different has popped out at me."

"Maybe this will help." Sgt. Lovejoy pulled out the picture Peter was provided when Renesmee was engaged to him through mail order. "Does she look familiar at all?" Cory took the picture and looked at it closely.

"I'm sorry, I can't say she does. I would know if she was there. There aren't more than maybe 100 people in my tribe so if someone like that turned up, I would've noticed."

"Do you suppose someone of your tribe may be hiding her? Perhaps you're tribe has had dealings with other tribes in a market of human trafficking?"

"Now hold on just one minute," Cory said, suddenly defensively. "What in the hell are you implying? My tribe and I have no such dealings with other tribes. Hoquiam and Aberdeen are the only groups of people we have any kind of business dealings or trading agreements with. We do not deal in any sort of human trafficking now _have_ we ever done such things."

"How can we be so sure of that?"

"You're welcome to go to the reservation and check for yourself."

"Well, if your people had nothing to do with Mrs. Wallis's disappearance, do you have any idea who may have?"

"I couldn't say. Like I said, we don't really interact with other tribes anymore, so whatever they're doing, we don't know anything about it."

"I see," Sgt. Lovejoy took the picture back from Cory and placed it back in his coat pocket. "Would you mind terribly showing us the way to your reservation so we may conduct an investigation?"

"Sure," Cory nodded, though he was still weary of the Sergeant following his finger pointing. "I'll show you the way after work."

"I must insist you do so now."

"You'll have to take that up with my boss then," Cory said and then walked back to the kitchen area.

"Is everything okay, Cory?" Sherry asked as he passed.

"Everything's fine, kid," Cory smiled. "You just get back to work."

"Before you go," Sgt. Lovejoy said, "Where is your boss so that we may take the matter up with him?"

"Most likely in his office," Cory answered and pointed towards the right. "It's that room to the far right at the end of the bakery."

"Thank you," Sgt. Lovejoy said before Cory walked back into the kitchen. Lovejoy noticed the young girl suddenly seemed much less open to them. No doubt she was upset with them for causing Cory any ill concerns. Lovejoy motioned for his men and Peter to follow him to the back of the bakery where Cory said the Baker's office was. "And Mr. Wallis," Sgt. Lovejoy said suddenly.

"What?"

"Let me do the talking. I don't want to hear a peep from you." While Peter grimaced, Sgt. Lovejoy knocked on the closed door and waited for someone from the inside to permit them to come in. When it did, Sgt. Lovejoy opened the door to see a pudgy older gentleman that looked to be hurriedly putting something away. Lovejoy wasn't able to see it, but it had him instantly suspicious.

"How can I help you? Is there a problem up front?" the Baker asked.

"Not at all," Sgt. Lovejoy began. "My name is Sergeant Brandon D. Lovejoy. These are Pvt. Mitchell and Pvt. Harrison and the gentleman to my left is Mr. Peter Wallis. Might I enquire for your name?"

"Ted Locksley," the man answered. "How can I help you today?"

"Well, Mr. Locksley, we have an issue. You see, Mr. Wallis's wife, Mrs. Renesmee Wallis, was abducted last month and we are certain she was taken by Indians."

"If you're thinking the Chichoweital are to blame than I must inform you that you're sorely mistaken. I've known Cory all his life and I've been friends with his people for much longer and they're not capable of such a thing."

"I understand that, Mr. Locksley, but you must also understand our position. None of the tribes near Olympia are to blame for the incident. I've personally searched every tribe thoroughly with a fine tooth comb and the best bloodhound to every breath and we've not found her. We're left to believe she was taken by a tribe further from Olympia."

"Hold on a second," Mr. Locksley said, "You're from Olympia? That's at least 54 miles from here. What in Lord's name makes you think the Chichoweital would kidnap a woman from a town that far away? It would take them at least two weeks to get there and back! Even if they were capable of such a thing, no one in their right mind would travel so unsurely just for a girl."

"That is a natural assumption, Mr. Locksley, but so far our local tribes have come up short and we've been forced to begin our search elsewhere."

"In Hoquiam? How do you know it wasn't bandits or something? You guys are near the mountains aren't you? I'd sooner believe she was abducted by outlaws that make their home in the mountains than believe she was abducted by Indians that are a minimum 54 miles away."

"We already have a division searching the mountains as well," Sgt. Lovejoy stated. "As I've assured Mr. Wallis, no stone is being left un-turn in the search for his wife, which is why I must insist that Cory show us to the tribe and allow us to search this instant."

"It can wait until the end of his work day, I can assure you," Mr. Locksley stated. "I have customers coming in and out of my bakery all day, sometimes even the middle of the night. I can't afford to have him out of work just so you can look for a woman that isn't even there."

"Again, we can't be sure of that."

"Well I am sure of that," Mr. Locksley insisted. "As _I've_ said before, I've known these people all my life and they're not capable of such a thing. If you insist on taking a look, I can understand, but you aren't going to take Cory away in the middle of his shift for a fruitless search."

"Perhaps, then, you could tell us how to get there ourselves," Sgt. Lovejoy suggested. "We don't necessarily need Cory with us for our interrogation."

"Interrogation?" Mr. Locksley repeated skeptically. "I've seen many like you, Sgt. Lovejoy, and men like you aren't performing an 'investigation', you're in the throes of a witch hunt."

"I can assure you Mr. Locksley that isn't what we're doing. We're just trying to find good Mrs. Wallis. It would be most helpful to us if you would allow us Cory so he may lend us a hand or tell us how to get there on our own."

"I have a better idea," Mr. Locksley said as he stood from his desk. "I'll show you how to get there."

"A fantastic idea," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "Can I trust that you will allow us to perform a thorough search, Mr. Locksley?"

"Within reason," Mr. Locksley said as he threw on his heavy coat. "But if you do anything I consider inappropriate or unwarranted, then I will be forced to demand you leave. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, Mr. Locksley," Sgt. Lovejoy answered. They followed Mr. Locksley out of his office and past the register.

"Sherry, you're in charge until I get back. Think you can handle it?" Mr. Locksley teased.

"You can count on me, Grandpa!" the girl cheered while giving her grandpa a salute.

Mr. Locksley laughed and patted Sherry's head before walking out with Lovejoy and his men following. Locksley went around the shop to his little cart with a Donkey loitering nearby. Sgt. Lovejoy suggested he take them back to the inn where their horses were, but Locksley insisted they not waste the trip and just take his cart. The trip to the reservation didn't take more than an hour. When they arrived, the group was surprised how many of the people were dressed in Caucasian clothes. The women were in tasteful flower dresses and some of the men were in overalls or other pants and loose fitting shirts. Some of the people were in more traditional clothes lined with fur to protect from the chill, but the majority were in clothes worn by the townspeople. There were also buildings that resembled homes in the town built from wood and even some multistoried ones. Had they not known better, they'd think it was just an expansion of Hoquiam.

"Well there's a site you don't see every day," Mitchell muttered when they approached the village. As they approached, a few people saw Locksley and seemed pleased to see him. Two little girls and a young toddler began running to him and Locksley smiled when he saw them.

"Grandpa Locksley!" The two little girls screamed before they hopped onto the front of the cart and hugged Mr. Locksley. The toddler tried getting on himself but he wasn't strong enough so Mr. Locksley pulled the little boy up to his lap by the back of his shirt.

"Grandpa?" Sgt. Lovejoy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Like I said, I've known Cory all his life. He's like a second son to me. By virtue, his children are like my grandchildren."

Sgt. Lovejoy nodded, but it was skeptical. He didn't doubt this bizarre man had such a strange closeness to these people. What he doubted was that he could be trusted not to slow their investigation given his closeness. Mr. Locksley got off the cart with the three children holding onto him. He was forced to walk with a strange waddle as the children held on. A woman stepped forward laughing. She was wearing a yellow and white dress that was a little dirty. Sgt. Lovejoy and the others got off the cart and followed after while Locksley had a pleasant conversation with, Sgt. Lovejoy assumed must be, Cory's wife.

"What brings you here in the middle of the day?" the woman asked. "I thought Cory was bringing you and Sherry back for dinner tonight."

"He will be, but unfortunately another pressing issue came up." Mr. Locksley awkwardly pointed at Sgt. Lovejoy and his men. "This gentleman is searching for a woman named Rebecca Wallis."

"Renesmee Wallis!" Peter blurted out angrily. Sgt. Lovejoy snapped his fingers at Peter in irritation.

"Quiet," he ordered through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me," Mr. Locksley continued awkwardly. "They're searching for a _Renesmee_ Wallis. I don't suppose you would know anything about this would you? They're claiming Indians kidnapped her from their home in Olympia."

"And they think we did it?" the woman actually snickered a little. "We never go past Aberdeen. What makes them think we'd do it?"

"I couldn't tell you," Mr. Locksley answered. "They're requesting permission to search the village." The woman shrugged.

"I mean, they can I guess but I don't know what they're expecting to find. I'll go grab Lexhiazu and they can make sure he's alright with it." The woman walked away and Sgt. Lovejoy took that moment to come closer.

"Lexhiazu is the chief I assume?"

"Yes, he is."

"I assume you know Cory's real name right?"

"It's Patchukati. That's his wife Sumakateih. When she's in the village, everyone calls her Lisa."

"How did they earn the names Cory and Lisa?"

"Their parents gave them those names. Technically Lisa and Cory are their middle names."

"Middle names? So these people have surnames?" Sgt. Lovejoy said with heavy skepticism.

"Some of them do. Cory's father took on my last name out of a show of friendship." Mr. Locksley smiled fondly.

"Did he now?"

"Yes. So his full name is Patchukati Cory Locksley. These three, though, they only have Eurocentric names." The three children, having tired of holding onto Mr. Locksley, were standing next to him now. The oldest of the three was to his right, the middle girl to his left and the little boy still hugged his left leg. "This is Patricia," Locksley patted the head of the girl to his right, "this is Lesley," he patted the head of the girl to his left, "and this strapping young man is Joseph. He calls himself JoJo," Mr. Locksley said with a chuckle.

"Where are their real grandparents?" Mitchell asked out of the blue.

"They're around. Fishing, certainly, and without me no less." Mr. Locksley chuckled. "I'll have to rectify that before too long." Just then, Lisa was coming forward with a very elderly looking man that stood tall only with the help of Lisa's shoulder. "Lexhiazu," Mr. Locksley greeted pleasantly.

"It's a pleasure to see you as always, Teddy," the older man said with a grin.

"You still insist on calling me that," he joked.

"Blame your mother, my boy. She insisted we all call you Teddy."

"You're the only one who still does." The two shared a brief laugh before Mr. Locksley got straight to the point. "I'm so sorry to bother you at this time of day, Lexhiazu, but I've got these gentleman here from Olympia and they're in search of a woman named Renesmee Wallis that they claim was abducted by Indians and they were hoping you'd let them take a look around."

"What on earth makes them think we did it?" Lexhiazu asked. "Where is Olympia exactly?"

"It's at the bottom of those great mountains," Mr. Locksley answered and Lehxiazu scoffed.

"Certainly not," he said. "We wouldn't have her. And I can't say we've met a woman by that name."

"Perhaps this might jog your memory," Sgt. Lovejoy said, pulling out a photo of Renesmee and handing it to Lehxiazu. The old chief looked at the picture carefully, but even then, he shook his head.

"I'm terribly sorry, but we've not seen her. If you insist, you're welcome to look for her, but I promise you won't find anything."

"I'll determine that for myself," Sgt. Lovejoy said. He motioned for Mitchell and Harrison to follow him as he began searching around the village. To his surprise, there were actual houses in the process of being built in this village. It was beginning to look much like Hoquiam in its housing. Searching these wouldn't be as easy as searching a simple single roomed teepee.

Houses of wood or Teepee, however, the result was ultimately the same. Sgt. Lovejoy and his men and especially Peter searched high and low for Renesmee and Caevia, trying to find any indication that they'd at least been here before or any indication that there might be something the Chichoweital weren't telling them. When they'd finished searching the grounds and asking people around the village if they recognized Renesmee when shown her picture, only to be told they knew nothing, Sgt. Lovejoy and his men reconvened with Lehxiazu, Lisa, and Locksley in what was essentially the town square of the village. Now was time for the part that usually got things either violent or extremely tense and upset the locals.

"Well, she's not in any of the homes," Sgt. Lovejoy said, warranting a nod from Lehxiazu. "Now all that's left is to search your graves."

"Excuse me?" Both Mr. Locksley and Lehxiazu said in unison.

"Search your graves," Sgt. Lovejoy reiterated. "Sure, we didn't find Renesmee walking around and well, but that doesn't mean she wasn't here. For all we know, you've killed her already and she's buried somewhere."

"Now wait just a God damn minute," Mr. Lovejoy stepped forward. "You have no right to defile their graves, no matter what the situation. Lehxiazu and all the others have confirmed what Cory and myself have already told you: that the woman you're looking for isn't here. How dare you try to intrude on the dead?"

"I understand you're discontentment Mr. Locksley-"

"Never mind my discontentment, what about the people's discontentment? It's their graves you're trying to defile."

"I won't accept no for an answer, Mr. Locksley. Either you allow me and my men to search peacefully or we make things difficult and I arrest all of you on contempt for disobeying a Sergeant. If you truly have nothing to hide, then us searching around should be no problem at all, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's not the point!" Mr. Locksley yelled.

"This is the last time I'll ask nicely, Mr. Locksley. Next time I have to ask, you will not only be arrested, but everyone in this village will be executed for not participating with an investigation of the US Government. Is that perfectly clear? Now, will you please show us where the gravesite is so we can proceed?" Mr. Locksley looked nervous and turned his eyes to the old chief asking what to do. Lehxiazu took a deep breath and nodded his head.

"You may search our graves," the old man said.

"Excellent," Sgt. Lovejoy said with a suddenly very chipper voice. "Where is the gravesite?" Without a word, Lehxiazu showed Lovejoy and his men where their dead were buried and they proceeded to search high and low. Again, they found nothing. No Renesmee, no Caevia, not even remnants of clothing from either.

"There," Mr. Locksley said when they were done digging. "You've completed your investigation. On behalf of Lehxiazu, I must insist you leave. I'll take you back to the inn."

"Much obliged, Mr. Locksley," Sgt. Lovejoy said. As they went to the cart, Mr. Locksley proceeded to apologize fervently for what happened that day and that he was truly sorry for ever bringing these men here. It was getting dark by the time they were getting ready to leave and Mr. Locksley stated that due to the circumstances, he needed to take a rain check on dinner. He felt horrible about today and he needed time to decompress regardless of how much Lehxiazu assured him it wasn't his fault and he need not feel ashamed for what happened.

Desperate to get Sgt. Lovejoy and his men off the reservation, Mr. Locksley nearly shoved them back onto his cart and said goodbye to everyone before they made the forty minute cart ride back to town. The ride back was extremely quiet. Locksley wouldn't say a word to them, which was strange given he'd been so chatty on the way there. He went to the inn to drop off Sgt. Lovejoy and his men and they leaped off the cart joyous to get some much needed sleep.

"Thanks again, Mr. Locksley, for your assistance with our investigation," Sgt. Lovejoy said.

"Just for the record, Mr. Lovejoy," Locksley began, "You and your men are no longer welcome at my bakery."

"We'll make a note of that, Mr. Locksley," Sgt. Lovejoy answered, ignoring the attempt Locksley had made at insulting him. Mr. Locksley rode away without another word and the handful of people that were still out, having seen the exchange, walked away from the scene not wanting to speak to them.

"What did you do to piss off ol' Ted like that?" They heard a light chuckle from behind them. It was a young man that had a bottle of bourbon in his hand who had stepped out of the bar for some air.

"He didn't appreciate the way I saw fit to interrogate your Indians," Sgt. Lovejoy answered briefly.

"Yeah, that would do it," the young man chuckled again. It was clear he was already mildly intoxicated. Seeing a possible way to gather more information, Sgt. Lovejoy stepped onto the patio to stand next to the young man.

"We'd gone there to look for someone." Sgt. Lovejoy pulled out Renesmee's photo and showed it to the man. "You wouldn't happen to recognize her would you?"

"Shit, no," the man said after the briefest of glances. "I'd remember a pretty face like that flouncing into town."

"How dare you-"

"Mr. Wallis, I said shut up!" Sgt. Lovejoy yelled suddenly. "Anyway, you're sure you've never seen her? Do you ever go down to the reservation for any reason? Perhaps you've seen her there?"

"Sorry, sir, but I haven't seen her. I usually only go down to the reservation to trade with them. I give them shoes, they give me deer. They're certainly nice enough from the dealings I've had with them, though."

"Your town seems to collectively like these people. That is rather peculiar."

"To you I suppose it would be," the young man laughed. "I wish I could help you; I really do. I wouldn't mind meeting that pretty little thing. I wonder if she's as straight laced as she looks or if she's one that's willing to untie her corset from time to time." The young man laughed a little, but Peter wasn't laughing. He grabbed the young boy by the color and began yelling at him to take back his comments. Sgt. Lovejoy managed to force Peter to release the young boy, who ran inside as soon as he was free.

"What did I tell you?!" Sgt. Lovejoy yelled and then sighed heavily trying to calm down. "You're overreacting."

"To that little bastard making sexual comments about my wife?! I'm not overreacting!"

"God Damn it, yes you are!" Sgt. Lovejoy took a deep breath and looked towards the window. He noticed the young boy seemed to be talking to the town sheriff and the site made Sgt. Lovejoy sigh heavily again. "If we get run out of town because of this, your ass is sleeping outside with the horses."

Lovejoy was expecting, upon entering the inn, to be approached by the sheriff about Peter's little outburst. Thankfully, they were only advised to not have a repeat of the incident and that was that. Though were it to happen again, the sheriff would personally escort them out of town and make them go their merry way. So Sgt. Lovejoy made yet another rather harsh plea with Peter to shut up and let him do the talking.

Renesmee stayed in Jacob's tent for a while. She felt fine, but she just didn't want to face anyone. She was certain they'd all heard what happened and she had a nagging feeling they wouldn't be too pleased to see that she was still there considering all the fuss she'd made. She'd not been expecting to see anyone except Jacob and Caevia. She was surprised when, the next day after she woke up, she was visited by Jacob's mother. She came to the tent early in the morning holding something in her arms and sat down next to Renesmee to feel her forehead.

"_You still seem feverish, but Sokajili said that was normal for you."_

"She said you still feel hot but Sokajili say its normal," Jacob translated.

"Sokajili said it is normal," Renesmee corrected.

"Sokajili said its normal," Jacob rephrased. Renesmee turned her attention back to Sara.

"_I'm sorry,"_ she began, but she wasn't sure how to finish. "About the fuss I caused."

"_She's referring to her running away and getting sick. She's trying to apologize for causing trouble."_

"_You told her it's no trouble at all I assume?"_

"_I did,"_ Jacob affirmed. _"But she still feels terrible."_

"_I heard from Caevia she's planning not to run anymore,"_ Sara changed the subject.

"_That's what she said,"_ Jacob said with a smile.

"_I'm happy to hear it. I'll try seeing about making everyone warm up to her. Ordering them to like her won't make them like her, Jacob. It'll have to be done through reintroduction and gentle persuasion."_

"_Even that won't be enough by the looks of it,"_ Jacob muttered. _"They better get used to her, though. If she ever…."_Jacob was almost scared to utter the possibility. He feared if he said it out loud, he'd be jinxing it. _"If she loves me as much as I love her and she marries me one day, she'll be wife to the chief."_

"_Again, instilling fear doesn't instill love. It's just a simple fact of human nature."_ Sara then returned her attention back to Renesmee and suddenly hugged her. _"I'm pleased to see you're feeling better." _Sara released Renesmee and looked her in the eye as she handed Renesmee what she'd brought with her into the tent. _"Welcome home, Renesmee."_ Sara chose then to leave Renesmee and Jacob alone. Renesmee unfolded the leather and saw that it was a new dress for her to wear.

"What did she say?" Renesmee asked when Sara was gone.

"She said she's pleased you're better and she welcomed you home."

"She welcomed me home?" she repeated.

"Yeah. She likes you," Jacob said.

"At least someone does I suppose," Renesmee answered.

Even though Jacob reminded her that he liked her, that still didn't really alleviate the fact that she was an outcast. Besides Jacob, Caevia was Renesmee's only regular visitor. She'd never felt banished like this, not even when the Volturi came attempting to call her an abomination. At least she wasn't getting the silent treatment then and she was accepted rather readily when Alice produced proof that she wasn't anything to be scared of in the form of Nahuel and his aunt Huilen. This was something completely different. Vampires aren't scared of her, so they never shunned her. At worst, they were intrigued and wanted to follow her around to basically study her. The Quileute, on the other hand, largely avoided her like the plague. First it was because she's a pale face and they don't trust. Now it was that coupled with the discovery of her being half vampire leaving them frightened of her and for their safety. It wasn't like she was very integrated into society wherever she and her family moved, but at least she was liked wherever she went. Here, she was an outcast and it made her feel more like a prisoner. Not being able to fully understand their language on top of all that had her feeling paranoid. The people could be planning to attempt to kill her or force her from town and she wouldn't know what was happening until it was too late. Jacob was the one that eventually insisted that Renesmee come out of his tent with him and sit with his mother while she, Caevia, and the others worked on daily chores. Renesmee expected Caevia to be the only one that spoke to her. She expected comments to be said and that Caevia or Sara would likely come to her defense. She didn't expect the harsh and obvious silent treatment. They didn't even make snarky comments about her and somehow the silence was worse than the degrading remarks. At least degrading remarks meant she was worth talking about.

"How have you and Embry been?" Renesmee asked Caevia while she helped scrub some leather on a stone.

"Wonderful," Caevia answered. "I'm already late." Renesmee stopped what she was doing and looked right at Caevia, who had a cocky grin on her face as if she'd just won a fortune.

"Already? Are you sure? It's only been a few weeks hasn't it?"

"Positive," Caevia said proudly. "Though through unfortunate means, I've grown very familiar with my signs of pregnancy and all the signs are there. I'm going to tell Embry tonight. I don't know if the tribe has specific protocol for announcing a pregnancy, so you're the only one I've told thus far."

"Oh, Caevia," Renesmee said with a high pitch and a smile before hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy for you. I know Embry will leap with pride when he hears the news."

"He will," Caevia smiled. The two ignored the other women staring at them as they hugged and continued their banter of excitement.

Meanwhile, some of the children were in the woods playing together, climbing trees, catching frogs at the creeks and chasing each other around. Among the children was Claire and she was the youngest of the group. One may argue that she'd invited herself into playtime with her older brother, Yaloweih, and his friends, but such details could be ignored when coupled with their merriment during playtime. They'd entered the woods that morning trying to avoid chores and were still there when it was approaching the middle of the day. When they were farther in the woods than they knew they were allowed to go, that's when they heard a sudden gunshot. All the kids ducked except Claire. She'd never heard that sound before and she thought it might be a strange animal she'd never heard before. She began to approach the sound, but she felt her brother grab her wrist.

"_What's the matter with you? Get down!"_ he whispered loudly and Claire did as her brother instructed. Several of Yaloweih's friends had begun running away to return to the village and the ones that remained were trying to quietly do the same. Then suddenly, they heard another gunshot and the deer that had been hit fell before their feet. Claire let out a scream that her brother attempted to cover, but enough had escaped that their position was given away. The friends that remained began to run and told Claire and her brother to do the same. The one that produced the gunshot came forward after his kill with a large floppy-eared dog by his side barking loudly once it saw Claire and her brother.

"Get back!" the man yelled as he pointed his gun.

Claire and Yaloweih were stiff with fear. Her brother did eventually gain the sense to begin stepping back, but out of panic on his own part, the man with the gun interpreted the movement as hostile and shot Yaloweih on his left shoulder narrowly avoiding his heart. The boy fainted from the pain and landed to the ground without a sound. Claire, on the other hand, screamed a blood curdling scream and that scared the gunman even more. So he shot Claire, but this bullet hit her in the chest to her right and she screamed again. With Claire on the ground screaming and crying, the gunman hurried to grab his kill and run away before any more Indians showed up.

The gunfire was heard from the village and there was an instant panic as people ran from outside and went to their tents while Jacob, Embry and Quil came forward facing where the sounds had come. Moments later another gunshot followed, but by then, Claire's mother and two other moms were running around looking for their kids. When a scream came from the woods, Quil's eyes shot open and he started running. Another scream came after that and this one didn't stop. Quil and the others ran as fast as they could towards the screams and were there in a matter of minutes, passing young boys as they went that were running in the opposite direction towards the village. They finally found Claire and Yaloweih both lying on the ground. Yaloweih wasn't making a sound, but Claire was still crying and squealing.

"_Claire!"_ Quil yelled when he saw the two.

"_Quil,"_ the little girl said through high pitched cries and heavy tears.

"_Embry,"_ Jacob said suddenly, _"Carry Yaloweih back. Quil, you take Claire. I'll run ahead and tell Sokajili what happened."_

Jacob ran ahead as Quil and Embry carefully lifted both children onto their backs so they could get them back to the village safely. Renesmee and Caevia were in Jacob's tent with the leather door open when Jacob came running back yelling for Sokajili. As Quil and Embry approached with the kids, Renesmee smelled the blood and gun powder and realized both kids had been shot. She'd been in Sokajili's tent, seen his tools, and she knew he wasn't prepared to treat such a serious and lethal injury. The slightest error could mean infection and inevitable death no matter where the wound was. Renesmee bolted out of the tent about the same time Claire's mother and father came out when they saw their children. Claire's mother was screaming her children's names and she assumed the worst when she saw Renesmee running towards them.

"_Keep that thing away from my babies! They're suffering enough!"_ The woman screamed.

"Jacob!" Renesmee yelled when she was close enough. Jacob took a hold of her suddenly and tried pulling her away. She realized he thought she was about to attack the children and got angry, trying to break free. "Jacob let go of me!"

"Don't hurt them, Renesmee, please!" Jacob yelled.

"I won't hurt them Jacob, I'm trying to help them. Sokajili isn't prepared to heal a bullet wound but I know how to do it!" Jacob loosened his grip and she got away. The children were already in Sokajili's tent with the mother and father when Renesmee managed to free herself.

"You can help them?"

"Yes, Jacob, I can. I just need a few things."

"What do you need?" Jacob asked, eager to allow her to help. Renesmee knew he wouldn't understand any of what she was about to tell him if she said it, so she walked up to him and placed her hand on his wrist. She showed him gauze and verbalized the word in her head of what they were called. Then she showed Jacob the image of a whiskey bottle. She needed that do disinfect the wound. She showed him thread he could obtain anywhere so long as he looked carefully. Needles where already available, so she left that part out. She'd get someone else to grab her one of those. And finally, she showed Jacob the image of a medical prod that was used to heat to high temperatures to seal wounds.

"Can you find me all that?"

"Yes," Jacob answered.

"If you run to Forks, you'll be able to find those things. Just make sure that you're not caught. It'll only exacerbate the issue."

"What does exacerbate mean?"

"It means to make things worse. Hurry, and bring Leah with you. She'll be able to help."

"Alright," Jacob said before running to look for Leah.

Renesmee ran back to Jacob's tent to grab Caevia so she would have a helping hand and someone to explain what she was going to do. Jacob was passing them with Leah on Jacob's back. They didn't have any time to waste and he needed to run much faster and longer than what Leah was capable of. He made sure to tell Embry and Quil that Renesmee could help and to ensure she was able to do what she needed to do once she had the necessary supplies. Renesmee and Caevia came into Sokajili's tent and were met with Claire's and Yaloweih's mother demanding that they get Renesmee away from her babies. Embry stepped forward, since Quil was focused entirely on Claire while she whimpered and cried, and told their mother that Renesmee knew what to do and could help.

"_I don't care what she__says__she can do! That monster almost killed Leah! I won't let her kill my babies!"_

"_Padokeiki!"_Sokajili yelled at the children's mother,_"These are wounds I cannot fix. Renesmee is their only hope of living through this. Now step back and let her do what she has to so your babies will live!"_ Padokeiki persisted, so Embry was forced to make her and her husband leave the tent, though it wasn't without fervent opposition.

"Caevia," Renesmee said, "boil some water for me." Caevia nodded and got to work on the water.

Sokajili saw it best to stand back and watch Renesmee work. He'd known of gunshot wounds, of course, but this would be the first time he would see them treated and possibly lived through. Once the water was boiling, she had Caevia clean away some blood from Yaloweih's wound while Renesmee tore the section of Claire's dress so she could get to hers and clean away the blood. Once that was done, they had to wait until Jacob returned with the things Renesmee needed. In the meantime, she asked Caevia to find her a needle she could use to close the wounds once they were done. Jacob and Leah finally came back with all the things Renesmee had asked for. She told Jacob to grab her a large bowl and when he came back with it, she poured the whiskey into the bowl and the noxious smell of strong moonshine filled the tent and it had a few, including Renesmee, gagging. Once the alcohol was in the bowl, Renesmee threw all her tools and small sections of gauze into the liquid and allowed them to soak a moment.

"Caevia put that prod into the fire so it can get hot. Don't pull it out until it's orange."

"Alright." Caevia placed the sharp part of the prod into the fire so it could heat up. They continued to ignore Claire's and Yaloweih's parents as they yelled from outside. Embry and Jacob stayed outside to make sure no one could get in so Renesmee could work.

"We'll take care of the boy last. We have to wait until that gets hot so we can close the gash immediately after getting out the bullet. Hand me the knife," Renesmee said.

Caevia handed her the knife that had been soaking in the whiskey. Renesmee cleaned Claire's wound with the hot water one more time before telling Caevia to give Claire something to bite down on and made Quil hold Claire down. Caevia continued to translate as she followed Renesmee's instructions. With a piece of wood in Claire's mouth and Quil holding her down, Renesmee proceeded to reach into the wound to remove the bullet and it caused Claire to scream louder than before. Her parent's yells became more vehement, but Jacob and Embry managed to keep them back. With the bullet removed, Renesmee poured some whiskey in the hole and it made Claire cry more. She examined the wound to see if the bullet punctured anything important, but thankfully Claire had a rather simple injury and Renesmee was able to just sew it up and that was finally the end of it.

"It's okay, Claire," Renesmee said. "It's finally done." Caevia translated what Renesmee said before she went to the fire to check the prod. It was bright yellow/orange, meaning it was ready. Renesmee took the prod out of the fire and handed it to Caevia. "I'm going to remove the bullet. Once I have it out, I want you to apply the heat so he won't lose any blood. Got it?"

"Got it," Caevia nodded.

With Caevia's affirmation, Renesmee told Embry to hold Yaloweih down and then proceeded to extract the bullet. Yaloweih regained consciousness and began screaming as Renesmee forced out the bullet. Once she got out the bullet, some blood gushed before Caevia managed to force the prod into the wound and seal it, making Yaloweih scream louder. The boy was crying by the time Renesmee poured alcohol on the wound and sewed it up, but once it was closed, Renesmee patted Yaloweih on the head and offered the same reassurance that it was finally over. Renesmee finished both procedures by wringing out the remaining alcohol in the gauze she'd soaked and placing them over each child's bullet wound then wrapping the dry gauze around them in order to keep the dressing secure.

"Let them know that I'll need to replace these every couple of days," Renesmee said to Caevia, who proceeded to tell the children as close a translation as Caevia was able. Carrying the large bowl of blood and whiskey, Renesmee stepped out of the tent and narrowly avoided getting pushed to the ground by the children's parents as they ran into the tent. She went to a fire pit and Jacob followed her. She poured the remnants of the alcohol and blood into the fire pit and worked on some sticks until she was able to ignite the booze. It went up in a large blaze when it did and she stepped away so it could burn.

"Will they be okay?" Jacob asked.

"They'll be alright," Renesmee said. "We cleaned the injuries soon enough that they won't suffer infection."

"Infection?"

"It's when the wound gets contaminated and halts the healing process. That's what usually leads to death when dealing with a gunshot. During the Civil War, it would take the doctors so long to get to a patient that the leg or arm was completely unsalvageable."

"I don't understand," Jacob said. "What is 'halt'? What does contamination and unsalvageable mean? And what is the Civil War?" Renesmee smiled as she looked at Jacob. She was impressed he was able to specifically tell her what in the sentence he'd not understood.

"Halt is the German word for stop. Contamination refers to when something is no longer clean and it causes intense pain to an injured person and can also cause death. Unsalvageable means something can't be saved or repaired. The Civil War was a fight between the north and south of the United States concerning Southern retaliation and it inevitably became largely due to slave culture in the south. The north won eventually. The war was long done by the time I was born, but its effects are still looming. I've seen countless men in my years with missing legs and arms due to a bullet wound that hadn't been taken care of properly so the doctors had no choice but to cut off the leg." Renesmee noticed Jacob cringe. "My Uncle Carlisle would tell me horror stories of doctors that had no credentials, that is they had no experience as doctors and no training, treating patients."

"Sounds bad," Jacob said. "How is your Uncle able to be a doctor? He's a vampire isn't he?" Jacob looked at Renesmee unsurely. "It is vampire pale faces call them right?"

"Yes," Renesmee answered with a smile. "If you're willing to sit through a long story, I can tell you what made Uncle Carlisle decide to become a doctor." Jacob looked towards Sokajili's tent and saw the slew of people that had suddenly begun to surround it.

"Let's go back to my tent for that," Jacob suggested.

"After this fire goes down," Renesmee said.

"Why did you start burning that?"

"It kills all the bacteria in the blood and evaporates the alcohol."

"Please explain differently."

"This kills the bacteria, or contaminants, in the blood and on the tools I used. It also evaporates the alcohol, or makes it go away."

"Oh," Jacob said. It took a while for the fire to finally stop, but Jacob and Renesmee went to his tent once it had. Jacob tied the leather door and sat across from her with his legs crossed. "So your Uncle. How is he a doctor?"

"This may require visual aid," Renesmee mumbled a little. "My Uncle was born in England." Renesmee began to draw out a map. To put things into perspective, she made sure to draw the North American continent and then worked on Europe. When she'd finished that, she decided she'd make a geography lesson out of this and completed the map with the continent of Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and the North and South Poles. "England is here." Renesmee pointed at the larger island off the coast of Europe towards the north. "We're here," Renesmee said when she pointed at what was the state of Washington.

"It's so far away," Jacob commented.

"It is," Renesmee nodded. "Specifically, my Uncle was born in London, which is the capitol of England. A capitol is where all issues of government are centralized in and is typically the largest and most populated city. It's not the case for Illinois," Renesmee pointed at the spot where Illinois was on the map, "though. In Illinois, the capitol is Springfield," Renesmee pointed near the southern most part of the state to indicated Springfield, "but the center of commerce or the booming city of Illinois is Chicago." Renesmee pointed at Chicago.

"Please slow down," Jacob requested and it made Renesmee giggle a little.

"I'm sorry. Commerce just means it's a really big city with lots of people and businesses. Businesses are a method for trading goods."

"Oh, alright that makes sense."

"Good," Renesmee said cheerfully. "But back to England. As I said, Uncle Carlisle was born here," Renesmee pointed at England again. "He was son to a Pastor."

"What's a Pastor?"

"It's a religious figure. In this particular case it was the Protestant religion, which is just a branch of Christianity that's commonly practiced in England to this day."

"I don't understand," Jacob said. Renesmee took a deep breath and tried thinking of how to explain this. She assumed Jacob's people must have their own religious practices, but she didn't know what they were.

"Okay," Renesmee uttered. "I don't know how to explain this without just reading the bible to you."

"What's the Bible?"

"It's a religious document that maps out the history and ethics of the Christian religion."

"Ethics?"

"How a group of people are to worship God and how to behave in society."

"God?" Renesmee took a deep breath after that utterance.

"It's too complicated for now. I'll explain Christianity another day."

"Okay."

"Just understand that Carlisle's father was a religious figure that held authority in the church. I'll explain what all that means another time."

"Okay."

"Due to his father being a Pastor, he also took responsibility for hunting down witches and vampires."

"What are witches?"

"Witches are considered evil magic castors that are heretics."

"What's a heretic?" This time, Renesmee laughed a little.

"I'll explain when we have our religion talk. So anyway, Uncle Carlisle inevitably followed in his father's footsteps and took on the witch and vampire hunts. He was much better at it than his father had been and even found a coven of vampires that had taken to hiding in the sewers of London. Considering the sewage situation in London, especially during 1686, the vampires were none too happy about being forced to hide in human filth."

"What is a sewage?"

"It's where waste and garbage is kept."

"Okay," Jacob said.

"So Carlisle found them but no one was willing to go in after them. They couldn't burn them out either. It would've set the whole city ablaze. So he had the people wait them out and eventually one couldn't stand it anymore and came out to hunt. Carlisle and a band of people tried to attack the vampire and it ran. They'd lost the vampire, but kept going after him. They'd split up and eventually Carlisle was alone. It turns out the vampire had been silently picking them off one by one until he'd gotten to Carlisle. When he caught my Uncle, he changed him rather than kill him. He thought that was far more ironic and a much greater punishment than death."

"What does ironic mean?"

"It's usually an event or set of circumstances that are the opposite of what you were expecting to happen and as a result it's funny."

"You mean like me hating pale faces only to imprint on one?" Jacob asked and it made Renesmee blush a little.

"Yes, that's extremely ironic." Jacob smiled at her, but she broke eye contact with him and continued her story. "Once Carlisle was changed, he felt like a monster and went into hiding, trying to avoid drinking human blood until one day he realized he could feed on animals rather than humans. He learned to control his thirst and decided he wanted to become a doctor as a way of redeeming himself for the sin of being a monster."

"Redeeming?"

"It means forgiveness and a sin is something you're not supposed to do. It's another thing related to the topic of religion."

"So we'll talk about it another time?" Jacob joked. Renesmee finally smiled and nodded.

"Yes, we'll talk about it another time."

"So your Uncle became a doctor for redemption?"

"Yes. And I became a nurse because I learned so much from Carlisle that it seemed wrong not to be a nurse. I've worked at every hospital my Uncle has until I moved here."

"What is a nurse?"

"A nurse is a profession of the medical field given to women that want to practice medicine, but are unable to get the necessary schooling to become doctors. I can't get accepted into a school to become a doctor because I'm a woman, so I became a nurse instead."

"It's a good thing you did," Jacob said. "Claire and Yaloweih would've been lost without you."

"They're not better yet. It'll take time for them to heal completely."

"But they will," Jacob said confidently.

Renesmee waited until later that day before she went to Sokajili's tent to check on the children to see how they're doing. When she came into the tent, she wasn't met with nearly as much protest. She checked their temperatures and felt that they both had mild fevers. That was to be expected considering the day they'd had and she told Sokajili as much, or tried to at least. She ended up having to find Caevia so she could tell Sokajili what she needed to. When Renesmee walked away from the tent, she realized everyone in the village was staring at her. She just ignored them and went back to Jacob's tent and stayed there. That night, Caevia asked Embry to come to their tent before he went out on patrol so they could talk after the tribe all ate dinner together.

"_Is something wrong?"_ Embry asked when they were alone.

"_No, nothing's wrong. I have good news actually."_

"_What kind of good news?"_ Caevia smiled and scooted closer to Embry.

"_I'm pregnant,"_ she announced to him with their lips nearly touching. He looked stunned.

"_Already? How do you know? Are you sure?"_

"_I know what to look for. Sickness and lightheadedness, trouble eating all of my food, bloating, it's all there. Also,"_ Caevia lifted up her dress and pressed Embry's hand over the slightest little bump that was only there if he pressed hard enough.

"_We're really having a baby?"_ Embry asked with a bright smile.

"_Yes,"_ Caevia answered as tears began to form. _"I know after what happened today, this might not be a good time to tell you, but-"_

"_It will always be a good time,"_ Embry said. _"We'll wait to tell everyone until Claire and Yaloweih are better. But I'm happy."_ Embry grabbed Caevia into his arms and held her tight, kissing her neck. _"I love you, Caevia."_

"_I love you too, Embry,"_ Caevia said, crying now. _"Thank you."_

"_For what?"_

"_For making me a mother."_

"_Thank you for making me a father."_ Embry kissed Caevia on the lips and the two fell to the ground together and Embry didn't leave until they couldn't make love anymore.

At patrol, Jacob congratulated Embry for the discovery but agreed that it might be best to put off the announcement until the children were better. As Renesmee promised, she checked on Yaloweih and Claire regularly over the next three days, making sure they were healing and their fevers were breaking. By the third day, both children were completely back to normal save for the retched stinging and soreness of their bullet holes. After that third day, Renesmee gave the kids permission to leave the tent and move around again so long as they didn't overexert themselves because that might lead to the dressing to reopen. The next morning when Jacob returned to his tent from the nightly patrol, he saw Claire's and Yaloweih's parents approaching with a large buck. Jacob waited for them to be close enough to ask what they were doing and they requested to see Renesmee. Jacob went into his tent and gently woke up Renesmee.

"Claire's and Yaloweih's parents are outside. They want to speak with you."

"With me?" Renesmee asked through a drowsy haze. Jacob nodded and helped her up and out of the tent. When she was outside, Claire's and Yaloweih's parents kneeled down and placed the buck on the ground before Renesmee.

"_You saved our children from certain death. Please accept this gift as a sign of our thanks,"_ the father said. Jacob translated what he said and Renesmee was speechless. She looked up and saw all the other tribesman staring at her with welcoming smiles and she almost cried. Though apprehensive they might be repulsed, Renesmee kneeled down and drank the blood of the buck the couple had offered. When she was done and satisfied, she lifted her head up and took a deep satisfied breath.

"_Thank you,"_ Renesmee managed to say on her own. The couple smiled back at her and asked Jacob if, since she was finished with the buck, they could butcher it and get it ready for a feast that night. Jacob asked Renesmee if that was alright and she said she'd be happy to let them cook the buck.

The day was spent preparing the buck for an early dinner celebration. It began to snow as they worked, so all the fire pits and even the traditional wedding fire pit was lit in order to help everyone stay warm in the cold. The tribe insisted that Renesmee be integrated into the day's work and she was all too happy to help. Caevia stayed close to help translate when the need arose. Every part of the buck was used and the bones were kept to the side for later use, the fur put aside for the same reason. The skin was tightened accordingly so it could dry and be turned into clothing later. After all the food was prepared, everyone gathered around the wedding pyre and began to feast. There was dancing and merriment and Renesmee was finally allowed to really be a part of it. She was finally accepted into the tribe and it felt nice. It was the most accepted she'd ever been and she realized she was happy. When she'd been with her family, she really could never be a real part of society. Any friends she ever managed to make were short lived due to their constant moving. Now, she was seeing the possibility of lifelong friends besides just Caevia. As Jacob watched Renesmee dance with the people and look really happy, he felt a genuine hope. This, he knew, was what she'd really needed: acceptance. Now that she had that, she could be happy and inevitably, she could be happy with him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next morning after the large party was when Caevia announced to the women she was pregnant. Embry had told her that there was no special protocol for announcing a pregnancy. The celebration didn't come until the baby was actually born. When explaining it to Renesmee, she was able to equate it to a birthday party and baby shower all in one big event. The mother received all nature of crafted baskets and items needed to care for a baby and the baby was given toys and clothes as well. Jacob's gift was already pretty much done. He was going to give the baby all the wooden toys he'd crafted while Renesmee was getting better. Though she couldn't fully understand everyone, she was thrilled that, when they were all doing chores together, she seemed to be actively included in the conversation. Even with Caevia having to translate, it was a welcomed change. Even Leah, who'd not said a word to her since she'd attempted to apologize, was beginning to be nicer to her. She still didn't like Renesmee, but a cordial relationship was at least a step in the right direction. Later in the afternoon, Jacob came to Renesmee and told her that Sokajili wished to speak with her about something important. They walked to Sokajili's tent together and the man was sitting across the fire pit smiling when they entered.

"_Do you drink water?"_ Sokajili asked Renesmee after she and Jacob were sitting down. Jacob translated his question and she nodded.

"I'm alright with water," she affirmed. Jacob told Sokajili her answer and he filled three cups with water and distributed them.

"_I'm trusting you to translate this accurately, Jacob,"_ Sokajili said to Jacob before refocusing his attention on Renesmee. _"What you did was a great thing. That family is indebted to you."_ Jacob translated Sokajili's words and Renesmee smiled.

"Thank you for saying." Jacob translated.

"_Having said that,"_ Sokajili continued, _"I've given a great deal of thought to the fact that I still have no apprentice."_ Jacob translated, but he kept his eyes on Sokajili. _"Normally this position would go to the medicine man's son or to an interested young man that earned the right to learn. In your case, you've more than earned it. Your knowledge of Pale Faced medicine surpasses even what I can do to help the people thrive. It only makes sense, then, that you become my apprentice. That is, if you'll accept my offer."_ It took a moment for Jacob to translate; firstly because it was a really long sentence, and secondly it was a strange request. If Renesmee accepted, that would make her the first woman of the tribe to ever become a 'Medicine Man'. Though given what happened, he knew she'd be readily accepted into the position by the village. Even Jacob's father was showing signs of liking her. Finally, Jacob told Renesmee Sokajili's request and she just gawked at Jacob a moment.

"He's asking me to work with him?"

"Yes," Jacob answered. "It's not typical, but you have the credentials." Renesmee smiled and looked at Sokajili. It was, in all technicality, still a nurse's position, but it was a nurse's position with the promise of becoming a doctor. It might not be what she'd envisioned, but it was more than she'd ever been offered back home. Had all this happened in Chicago or anywhere else she'd lived and worked, this would never have happened. Even _if_ a doctor had not been present to treat such a wound and she'd taken over, she would've never received due credit for it. At best, she would've been patted on the head like a dog and given a metaphorical treat. Here, she was being treated like an equal after proving that she was one.

"Tell him I'd be happy to," she finally said and Jacob translated.

"_I'm happy to hear it,"_ Sokajili smiled. _"Now all that's left is for you to teach her our language so I can teach her properly."_

"_I'll do that,"_ Jacob answered.

It was yet another announcement made later that night. Renesmee couldn't believe her ears when she heard the tribesman cheer when they heard Sokajili was taking her as an apprentice. Jacob noticed Renesmee brush a tear away and it made him smile to see her so happy. As it turns out, all Renesmee really needed to be taught was the language and the religious practices. It was the first time Renesmee had any deep explanation of the tribe's methods of worship and it was so foreign to her. With Caevia's help, she brought up the issue of virginity. Sokajili wasn't married and she naturally assumed, based on her own religious upbringing and moral structure, that this required her to remain a virgin and asked how Sokajili knew she still was. He surprised her when he said such a trivial thing wasn't important. He explained that the tribe never held virginity in such anally high regard. While it wasn't discredited as a good thing, a woman was hardly scorned if she were not. The only reason Sokajili wasn't married was because he never found the right woman. He was certainly allowed to marry if he wanted, but the desire never came. That all certainly explained why Jacob had been so on board with her accepting Sokajili's offer now that she thought about it. The realization made her blush heavily, but she realized that were virginity or never marrying were requirements, he'd never have been so open to it. And the fact that she was currently married, albeit never consummated, would've immediately disqualified her. Jacob did his best to teach Renesmee Quileute while still making sure they practiced English. Meanwhile, Caevia and the other women were content to get Renesmee immersed into the language so she could learn quickly. She was happy with how things were going. She dared to say that the women were even beginning to consider her a friend.

"I realized something," Jacob said suddenly one day when Renesmee had come back to his tent. He would be leaving for patrol soon, so he wasn't usually very talkative at that time of night.

"What's that?" she asked.

"The other day when you sent me and Leah to get those things from town, I realized Leah was reading the labels. At least, she explained to me that's what she was doing."

"I didn't know Leah could read," Renesmee said.

"She said their grandma taught them."

"Certainly not a bad thing to be taught," Renesmee agreed.

"Yeah, I thought so too. That's why I want to ask you to teach me how."

"How to read?" Renesmee asked. Jacob nodded his head.

"My English is getting much better, but I'm noticing there are some things I just won't learn through talking. Leah said that reading is a way to expand one's knowledge. At least, according to her that's what her grandma said.'

"She's right," Renesmee agreed. "I have no books to teach you with, though."

"I can steal some tonight. Just show me what ones to take and I'll get them."

"It's not that simple," Renesmee said shaking her head. "What I might suggest they might not have and I'd be leaving you without alternatives."

"Alternatives?"

"Other options," Renesmee clarified.

"I can take you with me, then," Jacob suggested and Renesmee looked at him strangely.

"You mean take me into town?"

"At night, yes. We can sneak around until we find the books you want to use. We can go to Forks later tonight."

"Not Forks," Renesmee said. "They may have some books, but I doubt they have quite the variety I'm used to. Is there a large city near here?"

"There's one over the mountains."

"You mean Seattle?"

"Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah, it's the biggest city. Maybe they would have the variety I would like." Renesmee became thoughtful a moment. "We'll have to do it late, though. The authorities probably have my picture and are looking for me."

"We'll go at a time they won't see you," Jacob promised with a smile. "Do you have books in mind?" Renesmee nodded and came closer so she could touch Jacob's wrist and show him her favorite books to read. Naturally, he didn't know what she was referring to.

"Just look for books that look like that or have the same title."

"Title?"

"It's a name given to a book. Like _Jane Eyre_, and _Persuasion_ to name two that I showed you."

"What are they about?"

"I'll tell you when we have them. Before we can start reading, I need to teach you the alphabet."

"What's the alphabet?"

"It's a sequence of letters that, when put together in specific ways, create words. I'll show you more after we get the books."

"Okay," Jacob said eagerly.

That night, Jacob went out on patrol as usual, but came back when it was late into the middle of the night. He let the pack know what he and Renesmee would be doing and that they'd come back as soon as Renesmee had what she needed. Renesmee was sound asleep when Jacob came back into his tent. He nudged her gently until she woke up.

"It's late enough," Jacob said.

"Okay," Renesmee pushed herself off the ground and yawned. She could go back to sleep as soon as they got back. Based on how fast she knew Jacob could run, they'd get this done in no time. Renesmee followed Jacob out of the tent and he shifted back into a wolf before her eyes. He stood next to her for several seconds and then bent down, indicating that he wanted Renesmee to get on his back.

When she was on, she held on as tight as she could, taking a clump of hair in each hand so she would be secure. She tightened the grip of her thighs when Jacob started running. It was a speed that could catch up to or even outrun her parents, but she held on tight. To her surprise, Jacob cut directly through the mountains until they reached the cluster of lakes near the big city. Renesmee instructed Jacob to swim across all the lakes until they reached the end of the last lake which would bring them into the heart of Seattle. They stayed discreet and when they reached land, Jacob changed back. Renesmee remembered, only then, that Jacob was naked. Forcing herself past blushing, she hurried to find a homeless man or any man that they could incapacitate and steal clothing from. They eventually found a drunk of the water's edge near the docks and just stole his pants off his sleeping body. Aside from the usual nighttime patrons, the streets were dominantly empty of traffic. She noticed women that had tattered dresses lined up along the docks with bright lip paint on and rouge. Jacob noticed the odd look Renesmee gave those women and asked if she knew them.

"No, I don't know them. They're just painted women," she said.

"What's a painted woman?"

"It's a prostitute."

"What's a prostitute?" Renesmee blushed a little. She knew it was down to being new to the English language, but there were times when she felt like she was having the 'why?' conversation with a small child.

"A prostitute is a woman that trades sexual favors in exchange for a set rate of money."

"So," Jacob thought a moment, wanting to come to an understanding of his own rather than make Renesmee explain it more. "It's a woman that will have sex with someone if he gives her something?"

"Usually money, but yes. It's like bartering, but instead of a woman trading sex for a dress or something she's trading sex for money." Renesmee brought her hand to Jacob's cheek and showed him money. "Those are called US Dollars."

"Ah," he answered. "Why did you stare at them so harshly?"

"Because painted women aren't exactly considered the prime example of a classy lady. They're women that lost their way and turn to prostitution for a number of reasons. It's looked down upon."

"If it works, it works," Jacob said innocently. "If sex is all she has to offer, why scorn her for getting what she can with what she has?"

"I keep forgetting your people seem far less strict about one's sexual exploits."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean your people aren't punished for sexual conduct out of wedlock."

"Wedlock?"

"Being married."

"Oh," Jacob said, and then he chuckled a little. "Why should it be so strict? Sure it's main purpose it to create new life, but the truth is its just fun."

"Perhaps, but it's supposed to be between people that are married and intend to procreate."

"Procreate?"

"Make babies."

"Pale faces are so needlessly strict," Jacob joked. "You can't walk around naked, you can't have sex until you're married. How do you people live?"

"I could ask you the same question," Renesmee said, deciding to join in the joke. "How do Indians stand to live outside, sleep in the dirt and have to share bathing areas?"

"It's not so bad," Jacob said with a smile. "So where are we going to get these books you're looking for?"

"We'll start with the library and bookstore."

"Do you know where those are?"

"I'll ask," Renesmee said, and then nervously walked up to a painted woman. She was leaning against a large building smoking. It made Renesmee scrunch her nose. It was so unladylike to smoke, she thought. "Excuse me, miss," Renesmee said and the painted woman looked at her and giggled.

"Oh my," she said. "So you're one of those people," she seemed to tease. She didn't know what the painted woman was talking about. "Alright honey, here's how it works: I usually do men, but I'm willing to do women. Usually I charge an extra three dollars for women, but for a pretty thing like you, I'll charge you the normal ten dollar rate."

"Wait, what? No! No, no, no, I'm not trying to pay you for sex. I wanted to ask you if you knew where the library and bookstore are in this town."

"Oh, the library and bookstore? I can't help with the bookstore, but I know there's a sizeable library up in the University District."

"And where are we now?"

"You're at Harbor Island, baby. The University District is north of here. When you leave the Island, just follow the train tracks until you reach the end, which will take you to the end of 4th Avenue. From there, make a right on Yesler Way. You'll reach a road called Broadway. Turn left there. Broadway will eventually merge into 10th Avenue, so keep going down that road. Now, 10th Avenue will end at Roanoke Street. You'll want to turn left there. Keep going until you reach Eastlake Avenue and go right. Follow Eastlake until you get over the bridge. Now once you're over the bridge, there are a few libraries there that belong to the University, so what you're looking for will dictate which one you go to. What kind of books are you looking for?" Renesmee didn't immediately answer. She was stunned this painted woman seemed to be so familiar with the libraries. "What books are you looking for baby?" she asked again.

"Oh," she started, still flabbergasted. "I was hoping to get several things but mostly the classic literature. _Jane Eyre_ and _Sense and Sensibility_ were two I was really banking on. I'd like to grab a Bible and anything else there that looks suitable for teaching someone to read."

"Who're you-" the woman started to ask, then she looked towards the tall man in too short pants, realized he was an Indian, and began to giggle. "That's admirable, teaching an Indian to read. Since you're teaching a man to read, I recommend some Greek poems. I hear men love those. For titles like that, you'll want the University Public Library on the corner of 50th Street and 9th Avenue. It's a huge building with a big green roof. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Renesmee said weakly with a smile.

"Not bad for a whore, eh," the woman joked.

"I wasn't trying to..." Renesmee began, but held her head down.

"Oh don't worry about it, baby. I've been dealt worse. I used to turn tricks in that part of town, so I know my way around in that area. College boys," she joked, "they're always willing to spend their parent's money on a sure thing." She looked at Jacob again and back at Renesmee with a smile. "He your man then?"

"What?" Renesmee asked, surprised and a little embarrassed. The blush on Renesmee's face told the woman all she needed to know.

"Oh, you're innocent as the first bloom aren't you?" She giggled. "And don't worry about a thing, baby. I'll keep my lips sealed about seeing you."

"What are you-?"

"Your picture's all over town, baby. The police are looking for you. I won't ask what you did; it's none of my business, but you be careful walking around."

"Oh," Renesmee said. "I didn't do anything."

"Like I said: none of my business. You just go find yourself those books and teach that handsome squaw how to read all proper." The woman laughed a little. "And good luck to you." Finally, Renesmee nodded and walked away from the woman. Jacob followed after her.

"I didn't understand everything she said," Jacob said when they were approaching the road that connected Harbor Island to the mainland.

"She was just giving me directions," Renesmee said. "Do you mind if we run? She said my picture is all over town and I don't want to risk us being seen."

"What's a picture?" Jacob asked.

"It's-" Renesmee began to explain, but then she saw the picture in question. It was the photo she'd sent to Peter on a large paper listing her name and that police were to be contacted if she were found. "That's a picture," she pointed at the one of her pinned to the wooden pole.

"We definitely don't want to risk being seen, then," Jacob said. "You lead the way. I'll follow." With a nod, Renesmee took a moment to remember what route the painted woman had instructed her to take and began to run. Jacob ran after her and they cut through the city street by street doing their best to avoid the eyes of nighttime citizens. Once they were over the bridge they'd been told about, finding the University Public Library took no time at all. It was a large white building with a green roof, just as the painted woman had said, surrounded by trees wilted to just branches. "So what is this place?" Jacob asked.

"It's a library, which is a building designed to hold a large collection of books for public use."

Renesmee and Jacob began to slowly circle the building trying to find a way in. They found a side door that was being opened by a janitor taking out some trash. They used that opportunity while the janitor wasn't looking to sneak into the building and work their way around until they reached the books. Jacob seemed mesmerized by the place and its sheer size, so Renesmee let him take it all in while she looked for the books she wanted. Her first stop was the classics she really liked. She grabbed a copy of _Jane Eyre_, _Persuasion_, _Sense and Sensibility_, and she was pleased to discover that the library held _The Canterbury Tales_. That would certainly be something she and Jacob read much further down the line. It wasn't useful for learning how to read seeing as the entirety of the book was misspelled. Though since the English Language was still being constructed at the time of the book's writing, one could hardly expect the English people to have a well-constructed written language. She looked around for books she knew Jacob would find appealing. He seemed like the adventures type. She made sure to grab _Treasure Island_. That was her Uncle Emmett's favorite book. Then she found row after row of Charles Dickens and his many books cut up into their many three chapter pamphlets: truly a brilliant marketing strategy. Her Uncle Carlisle would tell her all the stories of when he lived out east when it was just him and her father and how they'd wait at the docks to get their copy of that month's installment of _Hard Times_. But Renesmee chose to shy away from _Hard Times_. She didn't want to pick anything too complicated. She, instead, decided to grab _A Christmas Carol_. She could think of no better way to introduce Christmas to Jacob. She'd make sure they read it once December rolled along. While she was picking out books, she narrowly avoided bumping into Jacob.

"Do you want me to help?"

"You can carry these for me," Renesmee said and handed the books to him. Then she turned and began looking through the sections again. Out of pure impulse and simple liking for the book, she reached for _The Scarlet Letter_, but then retracted.

"What's wrong with that book?" Jacob asked innocently when he saw Renesmee stop so suddenly.

"Nothing. It's a very good book. I'm just not sure I want to read it right now."

"What's it about?"

"It's about a woman that has an affair with a pastor in her town and becomes pregnant by him. She becomes the scorn of the town and refuses to tell anyone who the father is."

"What's an affair?"

"In this case, affair means she was having sex with a man other than her husband. Affair can also mean an event, but in this case its adultery."

"Adultery also means affair?"

"Yes," Renesmee answered. It was then that Jacob realized why she was so hesitant to grab the book.

"I think these might be enough."

"I would like to see about grabbing a few more." Renesmee continued along the rows until she found the Greek poems the painted woman had suggested.

She saw all the ones she was familiar with but so many she wasn't too keen on. She didn't want to grab _Oedipus_. The last thing she wanted to discuss was the concept of incest. She saw several philosophical writings from Plato, both his own and written manuscripts based on the teachings of his master Socrates, but she found those so boring. She doubted Jacob would find them any more interesting. She settled for _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_. She also made sure to grab _The Aeneid_ when she saw it. Those ones she was completely familiar with and she knew that at least they were adventures. It would also be a great way to introduce him to Roman and Greek culture seeing as both have such a great influence on the modern world. Renesmee was delighted when she found translations of works by Alexander Dumas. She knew Jacob would appreciate reading a book written by a black man rather than a white man. She grabbed _The Three Musketeers_ and _The Count of Monte Cristo_. She looked high and low until she found William Shakespeare. Jacob smiled when he saw how happy that seemed to make Renesmee.

"Did you find something you like?"

"Some plays and poems by William Shakespeare. His sonnets would be a good place to start with teaching you to read. They're short, so we can focus on the spelling. Eventually we can study the structure, but one thing at a time. Oh!" Renesmee grabbed _Othello_. "This is my favorite!"

"What is it?" Jacob asked looking at the cover.

"It's _Othello_. It's about a black man that's a general I believe is his rank and he marries the beautiful Desdemona behind her father's back-" Renesmee stopped suddenly, looked up at Jacob and smiled. "You know what. You'll just have to wait and see."

"That good, huh," Jacob joked.

"Like I said: it's my favorite. One year Uncle Carlisle decided to take us all to England and I got to see this play performed at _the_ Globe Theatre."

"The Globe Theatre?"

"Yes. It's where William Shakespeare had all his plays performed originally. It's a famous London landmark." Shifting the books to free her right arm, she lifted her hand to Jacob's cheek and showed him the Globe Theatre and the beginning to_ Othello_ where Othello was being confronted about marrying Desdemona.

"I couldn't understand them," Jacob said when Renesmee took her hand away.

"I'll help you get a feel for the language. It's just a more archaic version of the English language."

"Archaic?"

"It means really old."

"Oh," Jacob said. Renesmee looked through the shelves and grabbed _Hamlet_, another one of her favorite Shakespearian tragedies, and _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. She wanted to grab something a little funnier.

"I wonder," Renesmee mumbled to herself before locating and perusing through the P section. To her delight, she found what she was looking for. "Edgar Allen Poe," Renesmee said.

"What's that about?"

"It's the name of the author. He wrote a poem called _The Raven_ and loads of short stories that are well known for their very dark macabre tone."

"What does macabre mean?"

"It's something that's dark and troublesome in content because it's referring to injury or death. In Edgar Allen Poe's case, it's usually death, though _The Pit and the Pendulum_ isn't so much about death as it is about surviving a torture chamber."

"There are so many things you've just said that I don't understand," Jacob joked.

"A pit refers to a big hole. A pendulum is this," Renesmee said before reaching her hand to his face and showing him the pendulum of a clock. "The pendulum in Poe's story, however, would look more like this." Renesmee proceeded to show Jacob a bladed pendulum used during the Spanish Inquisition, the time at which the short story was based.

"Is that a blade?"

"Yeah," Renesmee nodded. She kept her hand on his face and showed him what that pendulum was used for. When it got to a part that was showing a man about to be sliced for the first time, Jacob pulled away and stopped the image.

"Why on earth would one do that?"

"No one does it by choice. It's meant as a torture or slow form of execution. Torture is when you inflict pain on a victim slowly either to get them to tell you things or to just kill them slowly. Execution is killing someone that's done something wrong or broken the law."

"We don't do that," Jacob said weakly. Renesmee grabbed as much Poe as she could.

"All that's left is the Bible and an Atlas."

"What's an Atlas?"

"It's a collection of maps. It'll help me out a lot when we're reading books from different countries." Renesmee ran around looking for a section it would be in and when she found it, she found one long row of the same bible. "Here we are," she said and grabbed one copy of a Bible and an Atlas. "Let's look for a bag to put all these in and get out of here."

"Okay," Jacob answered, following Renesmee through the bookshelves. She made sure they were alone before they moved to the next shelf. Eventually they made it to the front desk. Renesmee went around and started looking for large bags she knew they must have. She grabbed the first one she saw and piled all the books she carried into them then told Jacob to do the same.

"We need to avoid the water on the way back. It would ruin the books."

"Okay," Jacob answered.

With all the books in one large bag, Renesmee hoisted the bag over her shoulder and the two proceeded to sneak out of the Library the way they came in, making sure to avoid the janitor that had granted them access. But as they were leaving, they crossed a map of the state and Renesmee stopped to look at it and groaned a little.

"What's wrong?" Jacob whispered.

"We can't go around the lakes without passing through Olympia," she said.

"Olympia?"

"That's where you took me from."

"Shit," Jacob uttered and Renesmee gawked at Jacob.

"Where'd you learn that word? I know I didn't teach it to you."

"Leah," Jacob answered. "Did I misuse it?"

"No," Renesmee said awkwardly. "No, you used it correctly. Try not to use words like that so casually. They're very offensive words."

"Leah told me they're 'cuss words'."

"They're? So you know more?"

"She taught me shit, fuck, asshole, damn and cocksucker. Those are the ones I remember at least. What is a cocksucker by the way?"

"It's…" Renesmee held her head down a little and scratched her head. "Cock is usually in reference to a male Chicken, which is a type of bird, but in the context Leah taught you, it's referring to an individual that performs oral sex."

"What's oral sex? Another thing pale faces frown upon, no doubt," Jacob joked.

"It's when….well….it's referring to…you see in that context 'cock' is referring to a man's…" Renesmee couldn't finish. She was blushing too much. "Make Leah explain it," Renesmee finally muttered before they continued to make their way out of the library.

"I take the 'frowned upon' statement was correct," Jacob joked again.

"I wouldn't know. We'll have to pass through the water, so I'll hold the bag above my head so they won't get wet," she said, desperate to change the subject.

The two just went west from the library towards the mountains. When they reached the water, Jacob discarded the ill-fitting pants and changed to a wolf when they were both sure they were alone. They managed to get back to the village before the sun was peeking through the horizon. They went to Jacob's tent and placed the books in a corner for later use.

"So which one are we reading first?" Jacob asked.

"Shakespeare's Sonnets. They're nice and short so we can focus on the spelling and how to read it. I need to start with the alphabet before we can do that, though."

"Okay," Jacob said. He positioned himself in a sitting position on the ground right across from Renesmee and waited. Moments later, Renesmee realized he was waiting for her.

"You want to start now?"

"Yeah."

"It's almost dawn. I need to sleep before meeting Sokajili tomorrow morning. After he's done with teaching me for the day, we'll start our reading lesson." Renesmee went to the bed and crawled under the blanket. "I promise: we'll start in the afternoon."

"Okay." Renesmee rested her head on the ground and she was asleep in minutes. It had been a hard night. She got hardly any sleep by the time she was nudged awake by Caevia, telling her that Sokajili was asking for her. She assured Renesmee that she'd already told Sokajili about the night's exertions, hence why she was tired and running behind this morning.

"How'd you know about that? Did Jacob tell you?"

"No, Embry did. They can read each other's minds when they're wolves apparently."

"That sounds helpful," Renesmee said through her yawn.

Meanwhile, Jacob did as Renesmee had told him and went to Leah with his question regarding the word Renesmee was so averse to discussing. Leah was blunt with her explanation and joked how Renesmee really did have 'lily white hands' when Jacob told her how shy she'd been when he'd asked her to define the word for him.

"What do you mean by 'Lily White Hands'?" Jacob asked after Leah had made the statement in English. Leah was a little surprised.

"Your English is getting better isn't it?" Leah sighed. "I'm calling her a virgin."

"What is a virgin?"

"Someone that's never had sex."

"Oh," Jacob said. He'd already known about that. She'd shown that to him. _"Don't make fun of her. I thought you were going to be nice to her from now on."_

"_I said I'd be nice to her. That doesn't mean I have to like her. But anyway, pale faces hold a woman's lack of sex in very high regard. Especially if she's married. In that respect, you just got really lucky."_

"_It wouldn't have bothered me if she weren't."_

"_I would certainly hope not given you kidnapped a married woman."_

"_She's not married!"_ Jacob blurted out, then cleared his throat. _"I might not know how pale faces handle marriage, but I do know part of being a husband requires sleeping with your wife. He didn't do that."_

"_How do you even know that, by the way? I was just joking before but she's really a virgin, huh? She's certainly not the type to just come out and tell you."_

"_I don't think she meant to tell me, but she did,"_ Jacob said, preferring not to bring up the 'showing' thing.

"_Well then, there might be some merit to your argument."_ Leah tapped her index finger on her chin thoughtfully. _"You see, pale faces follow a very strict structure with regards to marriage. If I remember correctly, a couple can break their marriage; in_English_the word to use is_'Divorce'_, if the wife is a virgin at the time of_divorce_. I don't know the exact details behind that. Daddy was never really a_legal_man per se."_

"_So,"_ Jacob began to reason, _"If she and her husband never actually slept together, that means their marriage never even started. So if Renesmee and I are intimate or she agrees to marry me, then her marriage to Peter really is null and void?"_ Leah almost laughed at the eagerness in Jacob's voice.

"_You could argue that, yes. Renesmee sleeping with you would certainly be grounds for divorce at least, but that would require making her whereabouts known and Peter cooperating. That's not even getting into the social scorn she'd face. Pale faces aren't exactly tolerant as you and I both know all too well. They're intolerant of their own, even. To put it bluntly and only the way_English_speakers can put it:_ Women kind of get the shit end of the stick with regards to most matters of 'civilized' society."

"Explain that sentence," Jacob requested.

"Shit end of the stick is a term meaning that one isn't being treated right or isn't being treated the same or are on the bad side of a bargain. Women, for instance, are secondary citizens to men in white culture. It's still better than being black or Native American I guess, but that's like saying that being a mosquito is better than being a fly. You'll be squashed either way. The only difference is who gets squashed first."

"On the bad side of a bargain? You mean getting a bad deal?"

"Yeah, that's what it means." Leah patted Jacob's back. "I'm impressed, Jacob. I'm really impressed. You keep this up and you'll be able to talk English good just like all the other learned white folk." Leah laughed at her joke, but it went over Jacob's head. "Sorry, it was a grammar joke. I guess that's a little much."

"No," Jacob mumbled. "I think I get it. Isn't it supposed to be 'speak well just like other learned white folk'?"

"Yes," Leah said. "It's just 'talk good' is me implying that pale faces are stupid and don't use proper grammar, hence the joke."

"Yeah, I get it," Jacob smiled. "Any other jokes you can teach me?"

"I'll teach you those as they come up," Leah said. "If you're asking me for jokes to tell to your lady love, I've got nothing. I don't know her sense of humor so I wouldn't know what jokes she'd appreciate. I'd ask Caevia about that."

"That's a good idea," Jacob said as he began to scout the village looking for Caevia.

Jacob found Caevia near the shore preparing geoduck with Embry at her side and two other couples. Jacob walked to the beach up behind Embry and grabbed the half of belly meat right out of his hands and ate it.

"_Jacob!"_ Embry yelled. _"If you want geoduck, get your own!"_

"_Why harvest one when you've done that for me?"_ Jacob joked then sat down next to Caevia. "Can I ask you something?"

"Not after taking food from my husband's hands you can't."

"We always do that. He's taken food from me many times. It's not like I'm taking food from a pregnant woman." Caevia rolled her eyes.

"Because he's unable to understand our conversation and defend himself, I will regard your statement as untrue."

"Sure, sure," Jacob said dismissively. "Anyway, back to what I wanted to ask you."

"What might that be?"

"Do you know any jokes I could tell Renesmee?"

"Come again?" Caevia asked as she raised an eyebrow at Jacob like he was crazy.

"Do you know any jokes she likes? So far, the only jokes I know are moment jokes."

"You mean situational humor," Caevia corrected.

"Either way, it's no knock-knock joke," Seth said suddenly as he walked by with his own geoduck harvest. Caevia laughed a little.

"See? I need you to teach me how to do that. What is a knock-knock joke anyway?"

"Seth, come back here a second!" Caevia yelled and Seth came back. "Knock-knock."

"Who's there?" Seth asked, as was apropos.

"Miss Ann."

"Miss Ann who?"

"Misanthrope." And then there was silence. "I guess that was a bad example."

"What the hell is a misanthrope?" Jacob asked. Caevia laughed again.

"I see someone's been teaching you to swear," Caevia joked. "A misanthrope is an individual that dislikes or distrusts humanity."

"So Leah?" Jacob asked.

"No, Leah's just racist." Seth snickered a little and Jacob rolled his eyes.

"You still aren't teaching me any jokes."

"You know what, Jacob," Caevia said, "If you really want to make her laugh, you're just going to have to get good at situational humor and witty quips."

"What is a witty quip?" Jacob asked, getting extremely frustrated.

"They're just comments that are funny based on how they're used. Like the comment I made about Leah being racist. That was a 'witty quip'. I was poking fun at her. Hell, you probably do that all the time without even thinking. I heard from Embry she'll be teaching you how to read, so just take advantage of that time and start making humorous comments about whatever you're reading. I'll even give you one. I already know she grabbed _Sense and Sensibility_," Caevia said with a light giggle. "That's one of her favorites. Anyway, early in the book, a character named Fanny, or Mrs. John Dashwood as she's also referred, refers to her husband's half-sisters and how comfortable they'll be with so little things. When you get to that part, just say something like, 'Oh how considerate of her. "Imagine how comfortable they'll be," indeed.'"

"I don't get it," Jacob said.

"Of course not. You haven't read the book. But once you get to that part, just say that. I promise you'll have Renesmee in stitches."

"I'll have her in what?"

"She'll laugh really hard," Caevia said, a little louder than necessary. "We need to start teaching you figures of speech too."

"What are figures of speech?"

"They're comments and sentences that express something other than what is being directly said. Like the one I just used. I have no idea where 'have her in stitches' comes from, but it means have someone laughing really hard. Another one would be 'beating a dead horse'. That means you're referring to something that is no longer useful or relevant to any overall outcome or current issue. For instance, if I had continued to yell at you over you eating Embry's piece of geoduck, I would be beating a dead horse. You ate his food. Nothing will change that you've eaten his food, and continuing to argue about it would be 'beating a dead horse'. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I do."

"There are a lot of figures of speech that involve horses. There's 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth', which means don't question a good thing. 'A one-horse town' refers to a really small town and can even reference that town having backwards sensibilities."

"Backwards sensibilities?"

"Outdated opinions on things. Then there's the term 'dark horse', or 'underdog' which refers to an individual about whom little is known but they unexpectedly do well or succeed. The technical term for these phrases is idioms by the way. They don't always pertain to horses, though. There's 'kill two birds with one stone' which just means getting two things done at once usually by doing one specific thing."

"I get it, I get it," Jacob said with a heavy sigh.

About that time, Renesmee came back from the woods with Sokajili carrying a basket full of flowers and herbs he'd showed her how to locate. Renesmee had chosen not to bring Caevia with her on this excursion because she was to force herself to communicate with Sokajili in Quileute to the best of her ability. She'd learned several new words that she'd have to get clarification for from Caevia or Jacob, but all in all the stroll was very educational. Jacob glanced skyward to gage what time of day it was. It wasn't quite midday yet, but it was close enough, so Jacob walked towards the pair.

"_Sokajili, are you done teaching Renesmee for the day?"_

"_Nowhere close. Sorry, but unless it's an emergency you'll just have to wait. I need to show her how to mix these. If you want to be helpful, go get Caevia and let her know we need her back at my tent."_

"What's wrong?" Renesmee asked.

"I was asking if Sokajili was done with you yet."

"I know what you said," Renesmee said proudly. "I was just asking if there was a problem." Jacob smiled at her, just as proud.

"I was just hoping you and Sokajili were done so we could start my lesson."

"No, we still have a few things to do. As soon as we're done, I'll come get you."

"_Go on,"_ Sokajili interrupted. _"Go get Caevia for us."_ Sokajili and Renesmee walked away proceeding towards Sokajili's tent. Jacob did as his uncle instructed with a mild grimace on his face and told Caevia that she was needed at the tent. Jacob decided to keep himself occupied by finding an apple tree to lay in and snack on. They were likely the last apples of the season. Winter would officially be here before too long. He wasn't sure how much time had passed. After his tenth apple, his eyes became heavy and he fell asleep. He woke up to the feel of someone that smelled very familiar tapping him on the shoulder.

"So this is where you're hiding," Renesmee said. She was straddling the large branch that was to his left.

"Sokajili finally done?"

"For today, yes. I'm sorry it's so late, but with teaching me a craft and a language all at once, it's taking longer than I thought."

"You're learning quickly," Jacob said as he began to sit up. When his back was to the trunk of the tree, it brought the two of them at eye level.

"Indeed. But right now we're focusing on your learning. Let's get down from here and I'll show you the alphabet." Jacob maneuvered himself until he was able to jump down from the tree. He'd been really high up, so Jacob turned around expecting Renesmee was waiting for him to be ready to catch her. But Renesmee jumped and landed on her feet just like he'd done.

"How are you?" he asked moments later. "With blood I mean."

"I'm alright. I'll be alright for another month."

"Month?"

"It's a measure of time. I'll have to show you that while we're going over the alphabet too."

"Let's just do that here. Or was there something you needed at my tent?"

"No, we can just have our lesson here." Renesmee sat down at a patch of dirt she found suitable and grabbed a stick that she and Jacob could use to write with in the dirt. Jacob sat across from her as he usually did, but she patted a spot next to her. "Sit over here. I need you looking at the letters right side up."

"Right side up?" Jacob asked as he did as Renesmee instructed.

"I need you to look at the letters the way you're supposed to." Jacob took a spot next to Renesmee and smiled. Renesmee allowing the two of them to be so close was a good sign. Renesmee proceeded to write out A-Z and also wrote down numbers 1-10. "Now repeat after me." Renesmee named each letter one by one, making Jacob repeat after her and they did the same with the numbers. She decided to keep the numbers between one and ten for the time being. They could focus on larger numbers later when she started teaching him math. "There's a little song kids have for remembering their 'ABCs' as they're called." Renesmee sang the song for Jacob and made him sing it with her after that so he'd have a way to remember what she was teaching him.

"How do these letters make words?" Jacob asked after they sang through the song a third time.

"You just put them together." Renesmee cleared the dirt and rewrote the alphabet and 1-10 in smaller print and higher up so she would have some extra room. Keeping it simple, she wrote J-A-C-O-B. "That's how you spell your name." Renesmee handed Jacob the stick. "Try writing it."

Jacob took the stick when Renesmee handed it to him. She then proceeded to spend a good five to ten minutes showing Jacob how to properly hold his writing utensil. He got close enough and Renesmee promised he'd get used to it given practice then told him to write his name. His didn't come out near as elegantly. Writing his name was awkward and he didn't feel like he had control over what he was doing. Renesmee took the stick back long enough to re-demonstrate the proper way to hold a writing utensil. Then she handed it back to Jacob and used her own hand to shape his around the stick. Then she guided his hand to write his name more cleanly.

"Just keep practicing," Renesmee said. "Let's start practicing other words." Renesmee took the stick from Jacob and spelled out six simple words: Cat, Dog, Tree, Wolf, Man and Woman. Once they were spelled out she said them so Jacob would know what he was writing. Then she positioned the stick back into his hand and guided him to spell out each individual word, making him spell it out loud while he moved his hand.

This entire time, Renesmee and Jacob's proximity was much closer than it had ever been, at least by her initiation. Their shoulders touched and her fingers were touching his. It had Jacob less focused on the spelling lesson and more so on Renesmee. The smell of her hair was filling his nose and the sound of her voice had him mesmerized as he looked at her face. She didn't seem to notice he was staring at her. Renesmee guided Jacob's hand over the last word, woman, and said it out loud as Jacob just stared. When the last word was spelled out, she looked up and him and told him to get ready to spell them out again on his own. Renesmee went silent when she saw the look Jacob was giving her. To her it seemed ravenous, as if he were hungry for her and the look left her feeling mixed. She let go of Jacob's hand, leaving the stick in his hand, and began to look away, but Jacob stopped her. He dropped the stick and brought his right hand around the back of her neck. Without warning, he used his nose to gently nudge her face back towards him so he could press his lips to hers.

Renesmee stared at Jacob as he kissed her. The grip he had on her neck was firm and gentle all at once. Renesmee's hands went to his bare chest and she tried to push. The initial push wasn't enough, so she started to dig her nails into his skin. Initially Jacob didn't respond to the feel of her nails digging. He continued not to respond until Renesmee began to draw blood. He let go of her neck and Renesmee jumped to her feet. Jacob fell on his butt and just stared at Renesmee just as shocked as she was. Eventually Jacob came to his feet attempting to reach her.

"Renesmee I-"

Renesmee didn't let him finish as she slapped him clear across the face. It was enough to actually force him to side step. It wasn't as if he'd never been slapped before, but Renesmee's slap had power and strength behind it. The slap not only had the force behind it to force him back, but it also hurt 'like a son of a bitch' if Leah's lessons on swearing in the English language were to be believed. Renesmee stormed off back to the village and Jacob followed after her. When they reached the village, Renesmee saw Leah sitting with some other women doing laundry together. She tapped Leah on the shoulder as she passed and said, "I'm staying at your tent," before walking away. Leah noticed Jacob running after her and came to her feet running after Renesmee ahead of Jacob.

"What the hell do you mean you're staying in my tent? I never said you could. Stay if Caevia if you want to stay at someone else's tent."

"Caevia's a newly married woman. I wouldn't want to impose on her."

"You're alright with imposing on me though?" Leah said sarcastically. Having reached Leah's tent, she lifted up the flap and said, "Yes," before stepping in and closing the ties from the inside.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Renesmee didn't stay with Leah after storming into her tent with no explanation. She proved to be a rather crude and less than receptive host even after Renesmee explained what happened. Leah's tolerance of Renesmee would only go so far after all. After Renesmee explained what happened to Caevia, who'd insisted on speaking with her after the huff Renesmee had made and all the attention it had caused, she tried to convince Renesmee to stay with her for the time being, but Renesmee refused. She wouldn't impose herself on a newly married couple. Renesmee spent the night with Leah and Seth, only leaving in the morning to go to Sokajili's tent. Jacob attempted to speak with Renesmee as she made her way to his uncle's tent, but she refused to speak with him. During her day's training, she requested Sokajili allow her to stay with him for the time being. Her Quileute still wasn't perfect, but she was comfortable enough with the language thus far to stay with Sokajili.

"_Well,"_ Sokajili said, but he was hesitant. Even having the situation explained to him, he would be lying if he said he didn't think Renesmee was overreacting just a little. _"I suppose you could stay here. You'll have to use the medicine bed."_

"_That is fine,"_ Renesmee had answered.

By now, the whole tribe knew what had happened. No one intervened of course, but there were certainly those with opinions on the matter. Some argued that Renesmee was being far too harsh. Being angry for a day, even two days, was acceptable given Jacob's brashness, but it had not been with malice that he'd kissed her so suddenly. He'd simply allowed his heart to rule his head. Many, including William and Sara, felt that Renesmee was punishing Jacob too harshly. Others found the matter amusing, albeit at Jacob's expense. No one in their right mind would attempt to kiss a vampire, even a half one. Quite frankly, Jacob was lucky all she did was slap him.

Needless to say, Jacob's little stunt brought his personal reading lessons to a screeching halt. Initially, the reading lesson had been the last thing on his mind. He was far more concerned with obtaining Renesmee's trust and forgiveness which was proving exceedingly difficult. After the third day of Renesmee refusing to speak to Jacob, Caevia pulled him aside and decided it wouldn't be right to at least help Jacob out a little.

"Just so we're clear," Caevia started once she had Jacob close to the wood's edge so they could speak privately, "I'm not at all condoning what you did."

"I'm not concerned with what you're condoning," Jacob said defiantly.

"Do you even know what condoning means?"

"To allow?" Jacob guessed, earning Caevia's heavy sigh.

"Close enough," she said.

"If I'm wrong, then tell me what it actually means."

"It means to forgive an otherwise unacceptable behavior. Like I said, you were close."

"Then my earlier statement still stands."

"Well aren't we just getting fancy shmancy with our English?" Caevia said sarcastically.

"I'm just getting good at it."

"Do you want me to help you or not?" Caevia snapped and this time, Jacob gave her his undivided attention. "I doubt it's a shock to you that Renesmee's angry with you," Caevia started.

"I never would've guessed," Jacob said.

"Now's not the time to practice your sarcasm Jacob." Jacob stayed silent and Caevia eventually continued. "What I'm trying to say is it'll take a lot more than just an 'I'm sorry' to get back on her good side."

"And how do I do that?"

"From what she told me, this all happened while she was showing you how to read and write. If that spot where she was teaching you is still there, maybe you should practice on your own."

"I don't remember enough to practice by myself. All I remember is the damn song."

"If what she wrote out is still there, that's all you'll need for now. I'll even help you here and there but she'll be more impressed if you do it yourself."

"I can't exactly tell her about it if she won't speak to me," Jacob mumbled. "How do I get her to speak to me again?"

"You just leave that up to me. I'll try to butter her up for her."

"Is that another figure of speech?"

"Yes it is and good job for noticing. It means I'll make her more accepting of your apology, but like I said, it'll take more than 'I'm sorry' to win her back. So you get to work on that book learning."

"Book learning? Isn't that grammatically wrong?"

"Not really, at least I don't think it is, but again, good job for questioning it at least. Now find that spot she was teaching you at and get to work. I'll worry about getting Renesmee to talk to you."

"Thanks, Caevia. I really appreciate this."

"You'd better," she said before walking back to the fire pit where she'd been working before she pulled Jacob aside. Jacob did as Caevia told him to and found the spot where Renesmee had written down the alphabet and numbers 1-10. It was all still there. Now he just needed to remember everything and go from there.

Later that night, as Caevia promised she would, she pulled Renesmee aside to talk. It was during dinner when everyone was outside sitting together eating their food. Jacob wasn't there Renesmee noticed, but she tried her best not to think too much about it. While most wouldn't understand them anyway, Caevia still requested that Renesmee come with her to hers and Embry's tent. Embry stayed behind per Caevia's request. When the two were alone, they sat next to each other and Caevia finished her potato cake before starting her argument.

"So how're you feeling?"

"Who cares how I'm feeling? How're you feeling? You're the one that's pregnant." Caevia smiled and waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm alright, barely any morning sickness. I have to say, this is definitely one of my better pregnancies."

"I would think that goes without saying," Renesmee smiled.

"I mean as far as how I feel early on. It could be the stress though. Before when I got pregnant, I was so paranoid and desperate to keep it secret I would worry myself t a frazzle. All for nothing to boot. Now, I don't have a care in the world. The whole tribe knows I'm pregnant, they know who the father is, and I don't have to worry about Sokajili forcing my baby from me. I'm so relaxed compared to before."

"I bet you are. That's how it should be. Stress like that is bad for mother and baby. As relaxed as you are, the baby's relaxed too."

"I'm showing a little," Caevia said.

"Really?" Caevia nodded and she pulled up her dress so Renesmee could see her belly. The bump was barely there, but she could see it. She touched the bump a moment. She didn't feel anything, but it was too soon for that anyway. "I'm so happy for you Caevia."

"There's a lot to be happy about." Renesmee removed her hand and Caevia let her dress back down. She chose then to bring up what she really wanted to talk about. "I wanted to talk to you on Jacob's behalf."

"Just when we were having such a lovely conversation," Renesmee sighed heavily and rubbed her face. "I don't want to talk about him right now. And I certainly don't want you trying to apologize for him."

"Can you really blame me? When any one of these wolves are upset, everyone in the pack knows and feels it. So Embry's had to deal with it for the past couple of days and I promised I'd see what I could do about it."

"So I should accept Jacob's apology so your husband will be happy?"

"To put it briefly, yes." Renesmee started laughing and Caevia joined.

"Sorry, Caevia, but making your husband happy isn't my line of business."

"That's really only part of it," Caevia said after she took another moment to laugh a little. "I kind of feel sorry for the guy too."

"How considerate of you, Caevia, but I'm still not letting him off. He had no right to do that to me. Even if he is sorry, I won't let him get away with ravaging me like a piece of meat."

"I will come to his defense on that front," Caevia started. "He thinks far more highly of you than that. From what Embry tells me, he never meant to upset you."

"I'm sure."

Caevia sighed, "He really pissed you off something awful didn't he?"

"He surprised me," Renesmee said.

"So wait, you're not mad at him?"

"No, I'm mad. I'm just not as mad as I'm probably putting forward. At the moment, I'd just rather be mad at him than sit down and talk with him about this." Caevia stared at Renesmee a moment, trying to discern for herself what she was saying.

"I don't know if this question is allowed but, did you enjoy it while it lasted?"

"You're right, that question's not allowed," Renesmee said.

"I'm just trying to understand. You just said to me that you're not as mad as your making out to be. You must understand that would lead anyone to believe that, perhaps for just a moment, you enjoyed the kiss. Or is there something you're not telling me?"

"I would think it's rather obvious why I'm reacting the way I am, even if I might not actually feel that way."

"Renesmee," Caevia took a deep breath, "You can't keep holding on to your married woman shtick. You know full well you don't love Peter."

"That's not the point," Renesmee continued stubbornly.

"What is the point then? That you made a vow? What's the point of sticking to that vow when you were never truly committed to that vow to begin with?"

"I was committed!" Renesmee snapped, but Caevia held her ground.

"You married Peter because you wanted out of your parents' house and wanted to be a big girl."

"That's not entirely-"

"Yes it is," Caevia interrupted Renesmee's weak argument. "You wanted your independence, so you jumped the gun and got married to someone that knew nothing about you or your family. That's the worst reason in the world someone could get married. You married Peter for the wrong reasons and you know it. So there's no point in clinging to that as an excuse because you don't want to admit that maybe you really like Jacob. Maybe even love him."

"It doesn't matter, Caevia."

"What doesn't matter? Your marriage to Peter or your feelings for Jacob? It better be the previous."

"You know what, Caevia, if I wanted to be lectured like a child, I would've stayed home. I shouldn't have to take that least of all from you." The moment she said that, she wished she could take it back. The mean look Caevia gave her only made it worse.

"Least of all from me? And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, never mind. Forget I said that."

"I can't believe this," Caevia said suddenly. "I thought you were better than that."

"What are you talking about? I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. If there's anyone looking out for me, it's you. I shouldn't have said that."

"You won't let yourself admit you love Jacob because he's an Indian?"

"What?!" Renesmee yelled suddenly. "I never said that! Why would you think something so small of me?"

"Than what is it? You just said it's not Peter anymore, you're telling me it's not his race, so what is it? Why won't you just admit you have feelings for him?"

"This coming from you of all people," Renesmee said, frustrated. "When we got here, you wouldn't let Jacob near me. Now you're saying I should just fall into his arms like a weak minded child?"

"Renesmee!" Caevia yelled and it made her recoil. She hadn't yelled at her like that since she was a child. "All I'll say is this: what Embry and I have is something I wish everyone could have. You have that chance with Jacob. Yes, I haven't always thought highly of the man and for good reason, but my perception has changed drastically since then. Jacob was wrong. I won't refute that and neither should you. But I also don't think you should continue to punish the man when he's gone to such efforts to make you happy."

"He's going through all that to make me love him," Renesmee said. "He's just trying to impress me."

"Would he be going through all that trouble if he didn't want to make you happy?" Renesmee didn't answer and Caevia sighed heavily. "I tried. No one can say I didn't try." Renesmee still didn't answer. She was looking at the little wooden toys in a large basket in the corner. Caevia noticed and raised an eyebrow. "You know," she started, "That whole time, he stayed by your side, day in and day out. He didn't even go on patrol."

"So I heard," Renesmee said weakly.

"Quil told me the story. Jacob had found you cold on the ground and ran right back to the village so he could get you to Sokajili. He forced the poor man out of bed in the middle of the night."

"So I heard," Renesmee said again.

"He was so worried about you, as was I. I'd suggested he keep his hands busy so he wouldn't drive himself mad with worry. That's why he was working on all those wooden toys. I can't say I've ever seen anyone carve wood that fast." Renesmee didn't say anything this time. Caevia crawled over and checked the basket for what she was looking for. She eventually pulled out the figure of a woman and Caevia handed it to Renesmee. It was detailed and precise with a dress and face Renesmee recognized immediately. It was her. "That was the first one he made."

"It's nice," Renesmee said.

"He's very good at carving," Caevia said. "But more importantly, he was looking out for you. If that's not love, I don't know what is." Caevia went to the door and untied the leather. "I've said my piece. Let's go back to the bonfire. Being pregnant makes me ravenous." Without a word, Renesmee came out with Caevia and went back to the fire with the others. Jacob still wasn't there.

In the meantime, much further south, Sgt. Lovejoy and his men were finally making their way north away from Aberdeen. The investigation took far longer than it ever should have. Sgt. Lovejoy already suspected that the townspeople were fond of Mr. Locksley and his pet Indian, but he had not expected the negative backlash that being blacklisted from the bakery would bring. The people might not think as highly of their Indians as Mr. Locksley, but they thought very, very highly of Mr. Locksley and were mortified when news went around how much the soldier and his men had infuriated the beloved town figure. They weren't run out of town, but they may as well have been given the silent treatment they received. The only people that spoke with them was the bartender and the cops. The bartender because they were using his facility and he was forced to speak with them and the cop because he was stalking them trying to make sure they didn't cause any further trouble. There were two towns on the feet of Hoquiam surrounded by water, normally easy places to reach by ferry, but in their case it wasn't so easy. They'd been blacklisted from the ferry as well. It forced them to go all the way around the peninsula both ways to both small fishing towns only to come up just as short. Neither town had any relationship with any Indians. The town on the northern foot had no tribes near them and didn't recognize Renesmee's picture when it was presented to them. The town of the southern foot were the same. They had no relationship with the Indians. "They leave us alone, we leave them alone and everyone is happy," was what they were told. They also did not recognize Renesmee and knew nothing of the matter. Sgt. Lovejoy insisted they all spend the night in each town since he wanted to do a thorough search of each town. He was given free access and found nothing. The whole trip took them five days to complete and they returned to Hoquiam both times to see they were still not wanted. They ended up staying in Hoquiam for three weeks. It took a thorough search of the town before he believed that the good people of Hoquiam and their Indians had nothing to do with and no knowledge of Renesmee's whereabouts. Another four days wasted not finding Mrs. Wallis. They were currently making their way north again. The closest town would be Neilton and that alone would be a two day trek barring incident. As it was, they had no way of knowing if Neilton even had an Inn for them to stay at. An hour into the journey, Peter was staring at Renesmee's picture feeling hopeless.

"We're never going to find her are we?"

"Not with that attitude we won't," Mitchell blurted out.

"Don't be so harsh, Mitchell. Don't worry so much, Mr. Wallis. Dead or alive, we'll find her." Peter didn't say anything.

"I don't suppose there's a way we can make sure we don't get blacklisted in the next town we go to?" Harrison asked.

"No promises," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "You can never predict how sensitive a village is. According to this map, Neilton's pretty barren of Indians, so I don't foresee a problem."

"We're not staying in Neilton long anyway are we?" Mitchell asked.

"At least a few days to replenish our supplies," Sgt. Lovejoy answered. "We'll need it. From Neilton, the closest town is Forks. We'll be camping a lot of our way there. Forks is one of those backwater towns where very few people have really ever heard of it."

"Joy," Harrison said. He looked at Peter, who was still staring at Renesmee's picture. "Don't you worry, sir. If we say we'll find her, we'll find her." Peter didn't answer.

"Just leave him be," Sgt. Lovejoy said. "He's been sullen since we left. I think he just needs some time to think to himself."

"Alright," Harrison said with a shrug.

Back at the village, everyone had in general finished their dinner for the night and those that had not gone back to their tents for the night were engaged in idle chit chat. Caevia and Embry sat together with a few of his friends discussing general things, among them Caevia's pregnancy and how she was feeling. By the end of the night, Jacob still wasn't back and she assumed Jacob was out on patrol already. But it had seemed so early for him to be out. Quil and Embry weren't out yet. Going on a hunch, though not really sure why she was bothering, Renesmee left the group and began wandering into the woods towards the clearing where she was teaching him to read. When she happened upon the spot, there Jacob was, looking over the letters and trying to copy what she'd showed him to do, mumbling the alphabet song to himself over and over again. He was so engrossed that he didn't initially notice Renesmee was there, but when he did he seemed a little nervous.

"You're practicing?" Renesmee asked when he was looking at her.

"Yeah," Jacob answered. "Caevia suggested I continue practicing. She said it might make you less upset with me."

"I don't know why she'd tell you that," she mumbled more to herself. She knew exactly what Caevia had suggested: keep learning to read and it'll impress Renesmee. It had her very frustrated.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I swear I didn't mean to upset you or disrespect you, but I just got ahead of myself." Renesmee was, admittedly, impressed with Jacob's choice of words. He really was learning.

"That's what I was told."

"I understand why you're angry, but I don't understand why you're surprised."

"What?"

"I haven't exactly been secretive about how I feel for you. I've been clear about that from the beginning even before I could really talk to you. I would think what happened would be…is the word inevitable?"

"Inevitable?!" Now Renesmee was angry.

"Wait, what does inevitable mean?" Jacob asked, thinking maybe he'd misused the word. "That was the word Leah used."

"Inevitable means it's a certain occurrence," Renesmee offered, allowing Jacob the change to retract his statement.

"Okay, good. I thought that's what it meant."

"You have some nerve saying that to me," Renesmee steamed. "You force me from my home and bring me to a tribe that until recently despised me, and now you have the nerve to say kissing me against my will was inevitable?!"

"You showed me how unhappy you were in just those three days!" Jacob began, yelling and getting defensive. "You showed me how unhappy you were while you were with him. Now you're telling me I took you from your home?"

"I never showed you-"

"Yes you did! You showed me everything!" Jacob and Renesmee stared at each other as if trying to make the other back down. Silence ensued for a long stretch of time, but eventually Jacob began to approach her. She assumed he was trying to intimidate her. He still had a very intense look on his face. She kept firm as well, not letting on that the look he was giving her was making her nervous. Not because she thought he would hurt her, certainly not. It was the fact that she wasn't sure what he could be thinking. "I didn't take you from your home. You ran away from home looking for something more. Yes. I took you by force. I scared you and that was never my desire or my intent, but it was the only thing I could think to do. And in bringing you here, I gave you a better home. I gave you a life where, with time, you could become everything you wanted to be. Like Sokajili teaching you his craft. Would you have ever been given the opportunity for such a high honor were you back 'home'? Of course not, because you're a woman. We are not so close minded here."

"You didn't kidnap me to give me a better life. You kidnapped me so you could have a wife."

"Would you have ever given me a second glance had I not taken you? I couldn't even speak to you."

"I can't say," Renesmee answered meekly and honestly.

"I'll apologize for kissing you so suddenly. I'll apologize for scaring you and taking you by force. But I won't say I'm sorry for taking you from a man that didn't make you happy and would never make you happy. I won't apologize for giving you more than what he could've ever offered you." Jacob closed most of the distance between them and was standing right before her. "I won't apologize for imprinting on you. And I certainly won't apologize for loving you." Renesmee stared at him a moment. His black eyes were deep and moving. His expression had softened and he was giving her a look that, she couldn't help but notice, he'd only ever given to her. His strong features, his dark short hair, his sheer stubbornness and determination to impress her and please her, but more importantly to better himself. She held her head down, unable to look at him anymore without blushing, but Jacob noticed.

"You're so bullheaded."

"That means stubborn, right?"

"Yes," Renesmee nodded.

"Then you're bullheaded too." Renesmee shot a look at him and saw his cocky smile. She wanted to be angry, but she just couldn't be anymore.

"So I've been told."

"Would you be alright with continuing to teach me how to read? I've sung that damn Alphabet so many times, I'm about ready to slam my head against a tree." Renesmee laughed and it had Jacob feeling very proud of himself.

"Let's continue where we left off then."

Jacob smiled wider and went right to the spot where the alphabet was written in the ground. Renesmee went to his side and they continued with spelling lessons. Jacob kept her with him in the woods for hours, making a fire for them when it was too dark. It was also getting very cold. By the time Renesmee was nearly falling asleep, it began snowing.

"Are you going to stay with me again?"

"Yeah," Renesmee mumbled. Jacob put out the fire before lifting Renesmee into his arms to take her back to the village. She didn't fight him. Whether it was because she was too tired or because she really didn't mind, Jacob didn't concern himself with it. By the time they got back, everyone was in their tents asleep for the night. In Jacob's tent, he placed Renesmee on the small blanket on the ground. She seemed asleep already. Jacob took a moment to cover the whole atop his tent so the snow and cold wouldn't get it. He looked at Renesmee and noticed she was shivering a little even under the heavy blanket he'd pulled over her. He kneeled down to her level and gently rubbed her cheek. She flinched a little from the touch and looked at him. "What?"

"You're shivering."

"Oh," Renesmee rested her head back to the ground. "It's cold in here."

"I don't have any more blankets."

"It's alright," Renesmee said. Without a word, Jacob was bold yet again and laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her without warning. Renesmee didn't react the way Jacob feared she would. She didn't yell at him or hit him. Instead, she turned around and buried her face in his chest to warm her nose.

"Are you warmer?" Renesmee nodded and fell right back to sleep. Until Jacob fell asleep himself, he held Renesmee close and smelled her hair. They'd made up, that much he could say at least. Perhaps speaking frankly with her was all that was ever needed. Either way, Jacob decided that from this point, he wouldn't try to force anything or allow himself to jump her like he had. If Renesmee was ever going to love him as much as he loved her, it would be on her terms and her terms alone. He'd be patient. But just this once….Jacob listened to Renesmee's breathing, trying to decide if she were really sound asleep. When he was sure she was, Jacob hugged her just a little tighter and kissed her forehead. He heard her moan in her sleep and he smiled, stealing just one more kiss from her cheek. _"I love you,"_ Jacob whispered in her ear. Renesmee didn't respond in her sleep, she just continued to cuddle into his chest to keep warm.


End file.
